Shortbread To Happiness - How to Make Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread Cookies

When you have nothing else in your cupboard but just these ingredients: All Purpose Flour, Powdered Sugar, Butter, Vanilla Extract and Salt; you can still make a darn good cookie. It's good with tea or coffee, and keeps fairly well. It will satisfy that sudden craving for something sweet, but not sweet enough that you would be bouncing off the wall kind of way. 

I will teach you how to bake these melt in your mouth cookie! Yes! This will be the first recipe I'm sharing with all of you. My principle in teaching - Learn how to walk before you run. Learn the basics. This cookie you can actually master and transform into something more flavorful and have plenty of uses. We will discuss that in the succeeding blog posts. 

First of, having those ingredients on hand, you will need the following tools:

- rolling pin

- hand mixer or a stand mixer 

- small cookie cutter of your choice, about 3" in length usually

- parchment paper or a silpat (baking silicone mat)

- saran wrap/ plastic cling film

- a cookie sheet or baking sheet

- measuring cups

- measuring spoons

- rubber spatula

- whisk

- metal spatula

Have them ready when you plan to bake. Now for the recipe of the SHORTBREAD COOKIE, you will need:

2 Cups       All Purpose Flour

1/4 tsp        Kosher Salt

1 Cup         Unsalted Butter, cut in small chunks and at room temperature (very important)

1/2 Cup      Powdered Sugar

1 tsp           Vanilla Extract

Procedure:

Read through the recipe before you start doing anything.

In a bowl, whisk the flour and salt together to distribute the salt in the flour and then set aside.

Put your room temperature butter in a mixing bowl (whether using a hand mixer or a stand mixer). 

Note: room temperature butter means that it is spreadable and not melting. And if you don't have unsalted butter omit the salt in this recipe. 

Start beating the butter in low speed until it is smooth and light, and no lumps. This should take you about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure there are no lumps. Raise the speed to medium to aerate the butter slightly.

In a low speed beat in the powdered sugar in small amounts until everything is added in. Add the vanilla extract. Raise the speed to medium high to get a light and fluffy mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl. 

Set the mixer aside. Mix the flour in 2 additions using the rubber spatula. Folding it in until just barely mixed in and then add the remaining flour. Fold the flour in lightly until just combined. The batter will be sticky. Do not be tempted to mix the flour more that you would actually need. You only need a few strokes and the flour should just be incorporated easily. The goal is to make a light and crumbly cookie not a brick.

On your countertop spread a sheet of cling wrap. Scrape the batter onto the clip wrap, create a flat disk about 3/4 inch thick. Wrap it tightly and put in the fridge to rest and chill for an hour or overnight. It should be firm before you use it. Note: Well chilled and firm dough.

A well chilled cookie dough will just need a light dusting of flour on the countertop before you roll it out to cut. Another way to prepare your dough for the roll out is to lightly dust the dough with flour, tap the excess flour off and then rub the rolling pin with flour before using. Have a small amount of flour on the side. But the general guideline is to not add additional flour into the dough because you think it's too sticky. If this is the case when you first make the cookie it means that it has not chilled well enough when you used it. Patience is a virtue in baking. 

Preheat the oven to 350'F/ 177'C. Line The baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.

Now, with the cookie dough unwrapped and on the countertop, roll out the dough, turning it once in a while, rubbed with flour lightly. Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick. Ideally a granite or marble countertop works very well because it is a cool surface. Dip the cookie cutter in the flour you set aside and start stamping. Transfer the cut outs to the baking sheet arranging them one inch apart. 

Check the temperature of your oven before sliding in the cookies. Preheating for about 15-20 minutes is ideal. 

Bake the cookies for 10 - 12 minutes or until they are light golden brown, turning the baking sheet halfway through the baking time so that the cookies bake evenly. The center of the cookie should be light golden and firm.  

Cool them on a wire rack. Store them in an air tight container or in the fridge. Just let it sit to room temperature before enjoying it with your tea or coffee. Yield is about 15-20 small cookies, depending on the size of the cookie cutters. It is enough for a whole week's tea time treat!

You can dip them in melted chocolate, too, like what I did. Or just simply enjoy them as they are. 

Happy Baking!