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Iced Shortbread

iced shortbread recipe from cherryteacakes.com


Do you like shortbread? I do. It's the simplest of all cookies. When I'm feeling incredibly lazy, but I want a treat (and really, don't you always want a treat when you feel lazy?) it's my go to recipe.

You may notice that powdered sugar and cake flour are not the norm. I've recently tried to find a way to make the shortbread a bit more dainty, and I think these two changes make a big difference. The dough is so soft and lush that it can be difficult to roll out. I recommend putting it in the refrigerator to chill before attempting to roll, and even once cut, having a second chilling time won't hurt.

Cheers!

Shortbread

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Stir in vanilla; add flours and mix well.

Shape dough into a disc, wrap in wax paper and allow to rest in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a floured surface to roughly an 1/8th inch thick. Cut the dough, and place cookies onto a lined baking sheet. Chill in refrigerator for another half hour.

Remove from fridge and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack.

Allow to cool before icing.

Icing 

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water or milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract (preferably clear vanilla extract)
food coloring (if desired)

Mix ingredients together. Add more sugar or liquid until the consistency you desire is acquired  Lightly set the cookie top-side-down on the icing. Gently remove and allow excess to drip off. If necessary, use a knife to gently push the icing to the sides of the cookie.

Return the iced cookie to the cooling rack and allow icing to set for roughly an hour.