Simple to make shortbread cookies made festive with Valentine sprinkles. So much easier than rolling, cutting out, and frosting regular sugar cookies.
The dough is quick to make with no chilling or rolling required. The addition of cornstarch to the cookie dough helps these to melt in your mouth.
RECIPE:
DAY 12: Raspberry Crumb Bars
These raspberry bars are a shortbread based cookie, which makes them pretty crumbly to eat, but I love the combination of raspberries and nuts.
RECIPE:
DAY 7: Shortbread Brownies
An easy way to dress up a brownie mix (or use your own homemade brownie recipe for the top layer). Ghirardelli is my favorite boxed brownie mix, but you can you any brand made for baking in a 9×13” pan.
RECIPE: Continue reading
DAY 5: Raspberry Almond Thumbprints
The cookie base for these thumbprints is a light shortbread dough. Fill with your favorite jam. We love seedless raspberry or apricot jam. I always add a little more jam after baking so they are “jam packed” with filling.
RECIPE:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
¼ tsp salt
About ½ – ¾ cup seedless raspberry jam
Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
2-3 tsp milk
½ tsp almond extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in almond extract. Gradually beat in flour and salt.
Using a small cookie scoop (2 tsp capacity), place level scoops on baking sheets, about 2” apart (I can get 20 cookies on a baking sheet). Roll scoops of dough into balls; return to baking sheet. Using the back of a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Fill each indentation with about ¼ teaspoon jam.
Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until baked through, but still pale. Don’t overbake. Remove baking sheet from oven and let sit for one minute. If desired, add a small amount of additional jam to the centers of the cookies. Cool cookies completely on wire racks.
Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar, 2 tsp milk, and almond extract in a small bowl. Stir with a whisk until smooth, adding additional milk if necessary. Place glaze in a Ziploc bag; poke hole in one corner with a toothpick or skewer. Drizzle glaze over the cooled cookies.
NOTES:
Makes about 4 dozen small cookies
DAY 1: Whipped Shortbread Cookies
These simple cookies have quickly made their way onto our list of family favorites. The cornstarch and powdered sugar in the dough make them practically melt in your mouth.
In addition to Christmas baking and spending time with family, this month I am choosing to participate in an initiative to “Light the World” through small and simple acts of kindness. Check out the link below for daily suggestions of ways to light the world, or to sign up for daily suggestions by text:
#lighttheworld
RECIPE:
2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 cups flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ tsp salt
1 Tbs vanilla extract
Candied sprinkles
Preheat oven to 300°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until very light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour, cornstarch, and salt.
Using a small cookie scoop, place level scoops on baking sheets, about 2” apart (I can get 20 cookies on a baking sheet). Rub your hands with a small amount of cornstarch, and then roll scoops of dough into 1” balls; return to baking sheet. Press each dough ball with the tines of a fork dipped in cornstarch, to flatten slightly. Dust the tops of the cookies with candied sprinkles.
Bake for 14-15 minutes, or until baked through. Cookies will still look very pale. Don’t overbake. Cool on wire racks.
Makes about 5 dozen small cookies.
For a wonderful new Christmas video about the birth of Jesus Christ, check out this newly produced “The Christ Child” movie:
DAY 10: Chocolate Dipped Orange Shortbread Cookies
A slightly fancier shortbread, these are one of my very favorite cookies. Orange flavored not-too-sweet shortbread cookies dipped in dark chocolate; I love this flavor combination.
The dough is shaped into a log, refrigerated until firm and then sliced into rounds to bake. Dipping only half the cookie keeps the fingers much cleaner than trying to dip the whole cookie!
You can also shape the dough logs into squares or triangles if you are looking to provide some variety of shape on your Christmas cookie tray. I wrapped my dough log in plastic wrap and then pressed it into an empty plastic wrap/foil box and used the box edges to form the mold for the dough.
ORIGINAL BLOG POST (2012): Chocolate Dipped Orange Shortbread
RECIPE:
1 cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp pure orange extract
1 tsp fresh orange zest
2 1/3 cups flour
4 oz bittersweet chocolate
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp coconut oil or shortening
Use a mixer to cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and orange extracts and orange zest. Gradually blend in flour.
Roll the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap dough log in clear plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Remove dough from refrigerator and slice dough with a sharp knife into 1/4″ slices, reshaping dough into circles, as necessary. Place cookies onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove immediately to wire rack to cool.
While cookies cool, heat chocolate and coconut oil (or shortening) in a double boiler. Dip half of each cooled cookie in the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to cool.
OPTIONAL: You can also shape the dough logs into squares or triangles if you are looking to provide some variety of shape on your Christmas cookie tray. I wrapped my dough log in plastic wrap and then pressed it into an empty plastic wrap/foil box and used the box edges to form the mold for the dough.
(Recipe adapted from Smells Like Home)
Stained Glass Valentine Cookies
Vanilla Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce
Strawberries with Homemade Marshmallow Fluff
Blackberry Cheesecake Mousse
White Chocolate Raspberry Swirled Cheesecake
Fruit Pizza
Sugar Free Strawberry Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Heart Kisses
Mediterranean Frittata
Valentine Shortbread Cookies
