Chef Gigi Gaggero

Shortbread cookies are rich and buttery, and have a crisp bite while still melting in your mouth! It’s such a classic, crumbly cookie recipe that only requires four ingredients. Use decorator colored sugars for a festive holiday touch!

You’ll Need:

1 cup salted butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Here’s How:

Step 1: In your stand mixer or large bowl, whip the butter until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar, add vanilla, and beat till fluffy.

Step 2: Sift in the flour and mix just until combine and you see no trace of flour streaks in the mix. No longer or your cookies will become tough. The cookies are called “short” because the gluten strands are shorten and the butter makes them slippery so they can’t elongate. By not having tough dough, well, the cookie will crumble quite nice. ( yes, I just said that ) take a few tablespoons of the dough and squeeze; if the dough stays together in your hand, they are done mixing.

Step 3: Lay out a sheet of parchment wrap and scrape the dough out in the center of it. Form the dough into a 5-8 inch log with roughly a 1-inch diameter and tighten the ends with a twist- refrigerate it for 3-4 hours or until the dough is stiff. Subsequently, you can chill the whole bowl and scoop the cookies onto the baking sheet after chilling instead of rolling a log.

Step 4: Preheat oven to 325’F and prepare a large baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Step 5: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and remove the wrap. Roll the whole log into a plate of granulated sugar. Cut 1/4-1/2 inch discs and lay them out on the prepared baking sheet a half-inch apart from each other — they won’t spread.

Step 6: Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes or until the bottom turns golden brown. This visual cue is a good indicator that the cookies are ready. Once baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool before removing them from the pan.

Makes approximately two dozen cookies

Options: Drizzle the tops with melted chocolate or roll the logs in assorted colored sanding sugars for a festive look.