Holiday Shortbread Cookies
Sugar and spice AND everything nice, these are the most addictive cookies ever. Light, buttery, delicately spiced, the cut out holiday shortbread cookies are quick to make and perfect for the festive platter.Makes about 2 dozen 2 inch cookies depending on the size of the cookie cutters
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 100 g clarified butter / ghee room temperature {or softened butter}
- 100 g castor sugar
- 25 g almond flour {4 tbsp}
- 10 g cornstarch / cornflour {1 tbsp}
- 1 tsp gingerbread spice mix
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste {or vanilla extract}
- 25 g pecans finely chopped {1/4 cup}
- Pinch of salt
- 125 g all purpose flour maida
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, using a balloon whisk, whisk together the clarified butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the almond flour, cornstarch, gingerbread spice mix, orange zest, vanilla, pecans and a pinch of salt.
- Fold in the flour and bring it together into a semi soft cookie dough. If the dough feels too soft, fold in an extra tbsp of flour.
- Divide into two, roll out to a 1/4 thickness and cut out shapes using cookie cutters.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the trays in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 140C.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the cookies are a light golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sift over castor sugar {optional} and leave to cool completely on the tray.
- Store in an airtight box.
Notes
- You can use butter instead of ghee. I make these often with homemade sweet butter, sometimes with Kerrygold unsalted Irish butter.
- You can skip the almond meal and use plain flour instead.
- Alternatively, add in whole almonds to the plain flour and blend until fine. That works just as well
- Since the recipe uses very basic ingredients, use the best quality ingredients you can find.