Shortbread Cookies

     You may remember that just a week or so before Christmas, I became very ill.  It was difficult to accept that my beloved Christmas cookie boxes would not be made or delivered this Christmas.  I managed to make a few at the beginning of December, but was waiting to pass out the rest of my cookie boxes as the big day approached.  No cookies this year L.  You see, I was going to make this recipe for shortbread cookies.  I had already done a trial run in late November and my parents and husband highly approved.  My cookie boxes and packing accessories were just waiting to be filled with freshly baked cookies.  I was so disappointed that I couldn’t bring these cookies to our family Christmas weekend, which fell the weekend before Christmas.  For a few days, J.T. and I, my parents, brother, and sister-in-law to be were able to gather under one roof to spend time together.  It was a fun weekend and I wish it happened more often.  I was able to make “Merry Belated Christmas/Happy New Year” cookies.  The only recipients of these tasty treats were my parents and husband…again.  I delivered a box of shortbread cookies to my parent’s house, the day before they returned home from a New Year’s trip.  I knew they would be surprised and delighted to receive them and they were.  The remaining cookies were given to my husband, because he eats dessert every night before bed – with ice cream.  Since J.T. actually helped me make the cookies (as you will see pictured below), it made eating them even more special.  Yes, he picked out teddy bear and “X” shaped cookie cutters. 

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients

·         ¾ pound unsalted butter, at room temperature

·         1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

·         1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

·         3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

·         ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1.      In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until just combined.  Add the vanilla paste. 

2.      In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.  Mix the double until it comes together.  Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a disk.  Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

3.      Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick on a floured surface.  Cut out the cookies using your cookie cutter of choice.  Cookie cutters with minimal corners work best with this dough.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes (this will depend on the size of your cookies).  Watch the cookies very closely because they can brown quickly!   Yields about 30 cookies.  

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