Shortbread Cookies

My baking mood has extended beyond pizza, obviously.

I haven't made these yet, though I've made other shortbread recipes. I think they're just what I'm looking for to decorate for our Poe and Pizza night and our costume party this weekend. I'll cut them out with leaf, acorn and pumpkin cookie cutters and then top the finished product with fondant icing (recipe follows). They'll be just yummy.

Recipe:

1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered (confectioners) sugar

1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt

In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer cream the butter (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Stir in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Cut into rounds or whatever shapes you wish using lightly floured cookie cutters. Place on the prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cookies are dry but not brown. (The bottoms of the cookie will be lightly browned.) Cool on rack.

The basis for this recipe came from The Art of Fine Baking by Paula Peck

The Shortbreads are great plain or you can frost them with chocolate or confectioners sugar

FROSTED SHORTBREADS:

2 cups (170 grams) sifted confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar

2 tablespoons (40 grams) light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water

In the top of a double boiler (use large stainless steel bowl over a saucepan) over barely simmering water, place all your ingredients. Stir until the sugar is melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

At this point you can color the frosting different colors using food coloring (I use the food paste color that comes in small jars. It can be bought at cake decorating and party stores.). If the frosting is too thick to spread just add a few drops of water until you get a spreadable consistency. You can spread the frosting by using a small knife or paint brush. To further decorate the cookies use colored sugar or sprinkles. Can also place the frosting in a pastry bag and pipe a design on the cookie - dots, lines, etc.