CANADIAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Maybe you have seen this ad on Facebook for Canadian Shortbread Cookies or maybe you haven't. When I needed several quick and easy treats to make for this past Sunday, I decided it was a good time to try them. The picture also showed them with red and with green sugar on them and since I live in Chiefs Kingdom, I was sold.

I had to check some other recipes for shortbread because they didn't include how long to bake the cookies and I also thought I would see what was different about the recipe from other shortbread recipes. I also thought the "Canadian" was interesting. I didn't find any recipes online (I admit I didn't spend that much time investigating) that made the shortbread like drop cookies. I have made shortbread before and it was quite involved with refrigerating the dough, etc so the fact that these were drop cookies really appealed to me. Maybe that's what makes them Canadian. There are varying recipes for shortbread. Most require the same ingredients, just different amounts. I definitely will be using this recipe most of the time now when I make shortbread.

Notes on preparing the dough - I used my electric mixer to cream the butter and powdered sugar only. Since I added the flour a little at a time, it was easy for my to just combine the ingredients with a spatula. I have included some other hints in the directions below.

PRINT RECIPE.

CANADIAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

2     sticks of unsalted butter (1 cup), softened (at room temperature)

1/2  cup powdered sugar

1     teaspoon vanilla

1/2  teaspoon salt

2     cups flour

colored sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the butter and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat for a couple of minutes until very light and fluffy. (Start off slowly so that the powdered sugar doesn't fly everywhere.)

Add the vanilla and salt and stir to combine.

Slowly add the flour and stir each time until well blended. (I failed to take a picture of the dough after I had added all of the flour.)

Using a small (1 tablespoon cookie scoop) scoop, drop level scoopfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. 

With a dinner fork flatten the "ball" of dough one way (You usually press two ways when you make peanut butter cookies to make a crisscross. You just need to press one way for these cookies.) If you need to you can dip the fork into some powdered sugar if the dough is sticking to the fork tines. I found that after pressing the cookie with the fork, if you lift the fork from the back to the tips (think a rocking motion), the fork is more apt to come out clean.) (I also failed to take a picture before I sprinkled the sugar, but I think you get the idea about flattening the ball using a fork.)

Sprinkle the colored sugar on top and bake for 10 to 11 minutes. 

Allow to cool at least 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before

removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

When cooled, try to eat just one.