🤏Easy Shortbread Cookies🍪
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cold, diced into tiny cubes
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups (248g) unbleached all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
- 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (optional)
Instructions:
1Add butter and sugar to bowl of stand mixer. Sprinkle salt around into bowl. Set mixer on medium-low speed and blend until combined.
2Add vanilla and blend mixture until well combined (butter should be evenly blended in), scrape down bowl as needed.
3Pour in flour and mix until combined.
4On a floured surface, roll dough out 1/3-inch thick. Cut into squares or rectangles (using a cookie cutter or knife. I did about 3 by 1-inch rectangles here).
5Transfer to ungreased baking sheets spacing 1-inch apart. You can dust of excess flour from scrapes, compress together and re-roll.
6Transfer baking sheets to refrigerator and chill 30 minutes. Halfway through preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7Bake one sheet at a time in center of oven until cookies are just set about 13 – 16 minutes. Tip: around 9 minutes if your cookies are spreading uneven on edges you can remove from oven and use a butter knife to scoot spread portion back in and even out their edges.
8Let cool on baking sheet 15 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with second baking sheet.
9If opting to use optional chocolate finish: Place chocolate in microwave safe dish. Melt in 20 second increments on 50% power, stirring between intervals until melted and smooth (or melt in a double boiler on the stovetop).
10Dip cooled cookies about halfway into chocolate, lift cookie then run bottom side of cookie along inside bowl edge to remove excess chocolate. Transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheets then refrigerate to set.
