No Fail Shortbread Cookies

There’s nothing more Christmasy than shortbread. For years I tried to make this delicate, buttery treat, but I could never get it quite right. My shortbread was crumbly and dense and tasted of defeat, which is rather salty on account of all the tears in the batter.

A couple years ago a friend of mine heard me ranting about how shortbread was the bane of my holiday existence. She decided to bestow a Christmas miracle on me in the form of these easy, no fail shortbread cookies. She is a semi-pro cookie baker, so I knew I could count on her recipe to be good.

Whipped Shortbread is now my go to shortbread recipe. Not only is it easy, it makes a lot of cookies. With four kids and a husband constantly stealing the fruits of my labor as they pass through the kitchen, baking in bulk is a real plus. These cookies are so good they often make it into my Gifts From the Kitchen packages I make every year for my friends and family.

No Fail Shortbread Cookies

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (2 cups) butter, very soft
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 cup confectioner/icing sugar
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Beat all ingredients together until well combined and the batter is soft.
2. You can either drop spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets or use a cookie press to make shaped cookies.
3. Add decorative sugar or cherry bits.
4. Cook for 10 minutes.

Makes approximately five dozen no fail shortbread cookies.

Many warm and merry “thank you”s to my friend Heidi for her awesome shortbread recipe. Offering to share a family recipe with a friend is one thing, but readily agreeing to it being shared online is something else. That’s real Christmas kindness.

If you are looking for other easy recipes, check out the best fudge recipe. I promise you won’t be disappointed.