Whipped Shortbread Cookies - Christmas Edition!

I love making Christmas cookies. Often they're roll-out/cut-out cookies, but this season I didn't have a lot of time (slash was feeling very lazy), so I wanted a cookie that I didn't have to roll out, etc. 

I also had a ton of butter in the fridge leftover from overzealous pantry-stocking ahead of Thanksgiving. Enter whipped shortbread - a simple cookie of few ingredients but quite a bit of butter that could be baked like a drop cookie. I looked around online and settled on this recipe.

It starts with whipping butter till light and fluffy:

Then, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and flour are incorporated (careful - go slow to avoid a powdery explosion!)

Then scoop the dough onto your baking sheet. A mini ice cream scoop would be really useful here to ensure uniformity, but I did my best with two regular spoons. (I went ahead a topped a few with colored sugar, but the rest are going to get a hearty dip in chocolate!)

They come out of the oven right when the edges start to brown. Look how cute and toasty these are :)

Of course, you can also use a cookie gun for fun shapes. I wanted these to be a canvas for my Christmas sprinkle collection, though, so I kept them small and simple.

To decorate like I did, melt bittersweet chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl in 20-30 second increments, stirring until smooth. Dip each cookie halfway, then place on a sheet of wax paper to cool. Top with sprinkles before the chocolate dries. Here's a shot of my work station:

 I love how cute these turned out, and so easy to make, too. They bake so quickly! With a bit of leftover melted chocolate, I drizzled the last few cookies instead of dipping.

They taste absolutely divine - probably due to the fact that they're mostly butter. And if you choose to go the chocolate route, the chocolate adds so much richness! They can be a little fragile to handle because they're so light, so just be aware of that if you're making larger sizes with this recipe. But I went with a petite size for these cookies (about the size of a half dollar coin) and didn't really have any issues with breakage. They do actually melt in your mouth!

Melt In Your Mouth Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Whip the butter until fluffy. The butter should look white and airy, which takes several minutes with an electric mixer.

3. Stir in the powdered sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3-4 minutes. 

4. Drop cookies in spoonfuls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. 

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, removing when the edges brown. Careful - these can burn quickly! Remember to adjust the time for smaller or larger cookies. (Small cookies - shorten time, large cookies - lengthen time and lower temperature.)

Hope you enjoy, and merry Christmas!