I love shortbread cookies, mainly because butter is my weakness, but also because it doesn’t take a lot of effort to change the basic recipe to suit what flavors you’re in the mood for. In the spring and summer, a little citrus zest in the dough gives these cookies a bright twist. In the fall and winter, warm spices give them the quintessential seasonal flavor. Here, I've used pumpkin pie spice in the dough and bourbon in the sugar glaze.
Makes about 5 dozen (2-inch) cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
For the Frosted Bourbon Drizzle:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 to 4 Tbsp milk
1 tsp bourbon
(See note at bottom of recipe)
Directions
With an electric mixer on low speed, begin to beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Switch the speed to medium-high and continue to beat for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until you reach a consistency like Play-doh. Separate the dough in half, shape them each into a disc, and wrap each one with plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
When ready to proceed, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Take the wrapped discs of dough out of the refrigerator and let them sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out.
Working with one half of dough at a time, unwrap onto a lightly floured surface. Dust the top of the dough and a rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough into an even 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch circle cutter, cut out the cookies and place them 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Press the excess dough together into a ball, then roll it out and cut more circles. Repeat until you run out of dough. Once you have filled one baking sheet, place it in the oven. Meanwhile, continue working with the other half of the dough.
Bake until the edges just start to turn golden brown, about 8 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. For easier clean up during the drizzling step, place parchment or wax paper underneath the wire rack.
Once the cookies are cool, make the drizzle. Sift the confectioner’s sugar into a bowl. Add 2 Tbsp of milk and the bourbon. Stir well. Add more milk/cream 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing after each addition, until you reach a semi-thin drizzling consistency. Using a small spoon, drizzle the glaze on top of the cookies while they are on the wire rack. The excess will drip down onto the paper liner.
Once the glaze has solidified on the cookies, store them in an air-tight container.
I keep them in my refrigerator, because Hawaii.
Note: Feel free to replace some of the milk/cream with more bourbon, if desired. Since my kids get their hands on these, I tend to use only as much bourbon as I would vanilla extract (which also contains alcohol), no more than 1 tsp.
Visuals
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
Mix together until you reach a consistency like Play-doh. Separate the dough in half, wrap each one, and refrigerate.
The dough is easier to roll out after sitting out for about 10 minutes. If it rub crumbles or cracks too easily, let it sit out a few more minutes.
Cut out circles using a 2-inch cutter.
Remove the scraps of dough and set them aside. Transfer each circle to a baking sheet. Using an offset spatula like the one pictured helps in case the dough has started to stick to your work surface.
Place them 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges just start to turn golden. Let them rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies have cooled, make the glaze. The consistency should be that of a slow drizzle.
Use a spoon to drizzle the cookies with the glaze. Note the parchment paper underneath the wire rack!
Wait until the glaze has hardened before storing the cookies in an air-tight container.
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