Monday, February 13, 2012

BIG HEARTED BUTTER SHORTBREAD

I made these wonderful shortbread cookies to take to a play date - perfect with a glass of milk or a cup of tea - and there were definitely enough to share.
I added another stick of butter to the recipe, because the dough was extremely crumbly, and wasn't coming together in a way that would have allowed me to roll it out. The result was a delicious, light and fabulously buttery cookie, that both kids and adults enjoyed.

BIG HEARTED BUTTER SHORTBREAD


2 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 325F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy - about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing until it is incorporated and the dough holds together in large clumps and comes away from the side of the bowl.
Form the dough into a smooth ball. Lightly flour the rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough out to a 1/4 inch thickness. Using a heart shaped cutter, cut out the hearts. Use a thin metal spatula to transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, placing them about 1 inch apart. Gather together the dough scraps, roll them and cut out additional hearts.
Bake one sheet at a time until the edges and bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned - about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
GLAZE
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 to 6 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar and vanilla together with enough cream to form a thick, spreadable glaze. Use a thin metal spatula to spread each cookie heart with the glaze. Let the cookies sit until the glaze is firm.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Morning News, February 2005

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