The title says it all!!!!! Eat Christmas Cookies is a holiday event hosted by Susan of Food Blogga . As the temperatures drop there is nothing better than baking in a warm kitchen with all the cinnamon permeating the room. At other times of the year I simply put a stick of cinnamon in a pot of boiling water, close my eyes and imagine all the wonderful holiday baking. What is the fun of that you might wonder but when it is 40 degrees Celsius during the summer months that is all the baking that goes on. Sad to say we do very little holiday baking here at the More Than Burnt Toast household these days. If it is here we need to eat it. Out of sight out of mind!!!!! There are plenty of delicious treats to keep us occupied at our friends and families homes. If we don't have too many sweets at home then we can indulge till our hearts content everywhere else. There is a method to my madness.
For this event I am offering my brothers shortbread cookies. They just melt in your mouth with every tender, buttery nibble. There have been many shortbread recipes that have been unsuccessful...well complete disasters....but I guarantee that this method will work perfectly every time!!!!! To see what everyone else has been up to check it out here.
**Neil's Shortbread Cookies**1 lb (2 cups)butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup cornstarch
1 T vanilla
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Cream butter until light and fluffy. The secret to tender, melt in your mouth shortbread is to really cream the butter!!! Stir in vanilla.
Sift dry ingredients together twice onto waxed paper for ease of handling. Add to butter in a few batches; blend until smooth with mixer after each addition just until incorporated. Refrigerate dough 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 300F. With hands roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; flatten lightly with floured fork. (we dipped our forks in granulated sugar).
Chill cookies on parchment paper-lined cookie trays while oven is preheating.
Bake 20 – 30 minutes or until outer edges start to brown slightly.
Makes 2 dozen
I love shortbread cookies. I never seem to mess them up like sugar cookies.
ReplyDeleteI love shortbread cookies! These look particularly good!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rosa
This is interesting, never made short bread cookies.
ReplyDeleteVal, am new here. Read about ur efforts at Blogger Aid, joined it today itself and here's my entry for the cause
http://cooking-up-a-storm-zaayeka.blogspot.com/2008/12/daal-makhaani-lentils-in-creamy-sauce.html
I do have a fairly new lil place on blogosphere...and would love guests over! :) Do stop by once in a while.
i like shortbread cookies too - i've just made a batch of the greek ones we serve at christmas (kourambiedes)
ReplyDeleteShortbread are one of my favorites. I love the way they just melt in your mouth. Yours look just beautiful. I make these each Christmas but have not yet done mine for this season. I better get to it!
ReplyDeleteShortbread is awesome. There are nice simple tasty cookies.
ReplyDeleteI must say those cookies look lovely although I am not really a fan of shortbread. How nice to have a cookie recipe from your brother!!
ReplyDeleteShortbread cookies are always good!
ReplyDeleteIt was fun reminiscing the past.Glad I could share a part of my life.:)
ReplyDeletethanks for stopping over.
I do hope you know that these make me really excited - lol.
ReplyDeleteShortbread cookies are my absolute favourite Christmas cookie...hands down.
ReplyDeleteThese look PERFECT, Val! I was just looking for a good shortbread cookie recipe. I'm planning to put in chopped dried cherries and chocolate.
ReplyDeleteI love shortbread, & these look GREAT Val. What a nice festive post this is. Have a wonderfully happy & joyous Christmas, & a GREAT 2009! Love n hugs
ReplyDeletei love, love love the simplicity behind these cookies Val...yum!
ReplyDeleteFor years I never knew about adding cornstarch...and then I finally did and it makes all the difference. I'm eyeing those salmon cakes below....
ReplyDeleteWe make a similar recipe that I have found on the box of Corn Starch Canada. We can't get enough of these cookies. We are having another snow day, here, in the Valley. Have a good one.
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you Val and Neil! It's always so nice to have a go-to recipe that you knows works every time. And I haven't had one for shortbread. So now I do! :)
ReplyDeleteShortbread cookies are in my list of things to try. I would definitely like to try these.
ReplyDeleteOooh, these look so good. A friend used to give these to me and she called them "melting moments". Whatever name they go by, they all sound yummy to me!
ReplyDeleteI love shortbread cookies, I don't know how Ai missed this one! Great recipe!
ReplyDeleteWe try to keeps sweets at a minimum at our family Christmas, but shortbread always makes an appearance. One of my very favorites.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your brother's secret recipe. These look lovely!!
ReplyDelete"melt-in-your-mouth" takes on a new meaning with these suckers--divine!
ReplyDeleteThese look terrific! Thanks, I am going to make them soon!
ReplyDeleteLooks perfectly baked -- just at the point of drying without taking on color.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the recipe. I tried it last night and they are delicious. I mixed in mini chocolate chips just to jazz it up a bit! I had to make a special run for cornstarch--that was inspired.
ReplyDeleteOh how I love shortbread cookies. I can eat them all day long...unfortunately sometimes I do. ;) These look great!
ReplyDeleteI always burn my shortbread cookies - usually get distracted doing something else and forget them in the oven! Yours look perfect though :)
ReplyDeleteVal, my daughter loves shortbread and picked out these cookies for me to make for T&C.
ReplyDeleteThey turned out really good. Thanks. My post is up at http://mydiversekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/04/its-time-for-some-shortbread-cookies.html