Shortbread cookies recipe | How to make shortbread cookies

March 31, 2014 by Raks Anand 46 Comments

I have tried baking shortbread cookies when I started experimenting baking. But it didn’t turn out good. It did, but due to my confusion I over baked the cookies and spoiled it. Then after that I had no heart to try as it has lots of butter. Now I got confidence to try again and tried last week as Aj wanted something for snack and he wanted me to bake some cookies. Mainly he wanted to enter kitchen helping me, so since its holidays for him I thought let me involve him to keep him engaged. So I referred Martha Stewarts recipe and tried this time. It came out good and even Vj loved it. So why not bake these cookies and pack your kids snack box with homemade butter cookies?

Shortbread cookies recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Continental | Recipe Category: Snack
Prep Time: 1 hr 30mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Makes: 30

Ingredients

All purpose flour/ Maida – 1 cup

Powdered sugar – 1/4 cup

Unsalted butter – 1/2 cup

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp

Method

First bring butter to room temperature to soften it. Do not melt. beat with a whisk until fluffy (3 minutes). I used my hand blender with whisk attachment but you can use you hands. Make sure you beat well. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and again beat fluffy.

Mix flour and salt well and add it to the beaten butter sugar mixture. Make dough. If your dough is too sticky and doesn’t hold a shape, add 1 or 2 more tblps of flour until you are able to form a soft non-sticky dough. Mine turned gooey, so I had to add few more tblsp of flour. Nothing went wrong, so you can do that if needed.

Flatten to disc and wrap with a cling wrap. Keep refrigerated for atleast an hour.

Line baking tray with baking sheets. Roll out the dough using rolling pin for 1/4 inch thickness. (You can use a butter paper over the dough to avoid sticking to the rolling pin, just in case).

Using your favorite shape of cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. Take out the other parts of the dough leaving the cut cookie in its place without disturbing its shape. Re-roll the scraps again and cut out cookies. Use a spatula to take out the cookies.

Arrange carefully in the baking tray. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven for 160 deg C (or 325 F). Bake for 15- 18 minutes until the sides of the cookies just start to change colour. Cool over wire rack completely before baking.

Notes

Refrigerating the dough is very important, give enough time.
After cutting out the shapes in the rolled out dough, take out the side row by row for easily taking out the cookies.
If while re rolling, its difficult for your to handle, refrigerate the dough again. To avoid this, act quickly. Do not knead much with your hands as it will melt the butter and soften the dough.
After the sides start changing its colour, the centre part may still be soft, which you need not worry, it will get firm after it gets cooled down completely.
Dot over bake as it will affect the taste.
My cookie cutter is too tiny so I got more than mentioned.

Tastes and smells divinely, I love especially after 2-3 days.