Welcome to Day 2 of the 12 Cookies of Christmas.
These cookies are called Jen's Shortbread Cookies. They were made by my girlfriend, Jen Vondenbrink, who owns a coaching company called Life Simplified. She writes a great blog, Appetite for Life - A Blog About Life, Love, Laughter and the Lessons Along The Way, also. I have been fortunate to work with Jen in different capacities over the past 3 years and enjoy her business expertise as well as her passion for cooking and baking. I was excited when Jen said she would attend the cookie swap, I knew she would arrive with some delicious cookies.
When I asked Jen about her cookies she explained, "These shortbread cookies were a "by accident find." I was looking for something different than a sugar cookie which our family always found too sweet. These actually were supposed to be sandwiched with chocolate in between (which isn't a bad idea either). Instead we use these as our basic decorated cookies for the season. Now, I can't leave home without them."
The evening of the cookie swap, my daughter was heading to a friend's house, so we loaded her up with a sampling of all the cookies. When she arrived home the next day, she said, "Everyone loved those snowflakes!"
What I like about this recipe is the use of confectioner's sugar, my shortbread recipes are all made with granulated sugar. There is a buttery smoothness to this cookie that is different from my shortbread. These cookies melt in your mouth. I will admit, I'm looking forward to making a batch of shortbread cookies myself. I'm even thinking of adding some fresh lemon rind with a lemon icing...YUM!
We've given you some ideas...go forth and bake! Thanks, Jen.
Ingredients
3 sticks of butter (1-1/2 cups)
1 cup of confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla
3 cups of flour
Preparation
1. Blend butter until smooth.
2. Add sugar and blend.
3. Add vanilla and blend.
4. Add flour, half at a time. Mix thoroughly.
5. Refrigerate dough for about 30-60 minutes depending on how warm the kitchen is (I usual make another batch of cookies while these are firming up).
6. Roll out dough to 1/2" thickness. Cut with cookies cutters. Bake until edges are just golden.
Preheat oven to 325.
You can decorate the with an icing made of confectioner's sugar and milk or lemon juice.
