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
