Description
Delightful whipped shortbread cookies melt in your mouth with buttery richness from Scotland. Crisp edges and delicate texture make these treats perfect for holiday gatherings and afternoon tea.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons/170 grams) butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups (170 grams) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons (45 grams) corn starch
Sweeteners and Flavoring:
- 6 tablespoons (45 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract
Decorative Ingredient:
- 1/4 cup Christmas sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Cream butter and powdered sugar in a mixer at high speed for 5-7 minutes until the mixture transforms into an airy, pale volume with significant volume increase.
- Incorporate almond extract thoroughly, ensuring complete integration into the whipped base.
- Sift flour and corn starch together, then gently fold into the butter mixture in three gradual stages, avoiding overmixing to maintain delicate texture.
- Refrigerate the dough in a sealed container for 2 hours to enhance flavor development and improve cookie structure.
- Remove chilled dough and form into uniform 1-inch spheres using gentle rolling motions.
- Dust a fork with powdered sugar and delicately press each cookie ball, creating traditional crosshatch patterns.
- Optional: Sprinkle decorative elements like colored sugar or festive sprinkles across cookie surfaces.
- Position cookies on parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing slight spacing between each.
- Bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 10-12 minutes, monitoring until edges turn subtly golden and bottoms achieve a light caramel hue.
- Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for initial cooling, then transfer to wire rack to complete cooling process.
Notes
- Whipping Technique matters most for achieving that signature melt-in-your-mouth texture, so don’t rush the butter and sugar creaming process.
- Use room temperature butter for smoother blending and easier incorporation of ingredients, preventing lumpy cookie dough.
- Chilling the dough helps cookies maintain shape and prevents spreading during baking, creating more compact, delicate cookies.
- For gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, ensuring same tender crumb and delicate texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Canadian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 95
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg