Christmas Cookies

Stars and trumpeting angel shortbread cookies

 

My Christmas cookie baking experiences have been innumerable. 

Over the years, I have baked multitudes of new and old cookie recipes and created countless assorted cookie trays (augmented by the occasional sleeve of saved and frozen/de-thawed Girl Scout Thin Mints - a pleasant surprise 9 months after they're delivered and often, to my chagrin, a crowd favorite).  

Girl Scout cookies in my freezer, just waiting to upstage my homemade cookies.

I’ve held neighborhood cookie exchanges or just attended one or two.

But regardless of my mood or the status of my dieting, I  make a least two or three different kinds of cookies every year. 

My good old standby, and what often seems to be a hit, is the shortbread cookie.  The simplest recipe ever:

2 sticks of (unsalted) butter, softened
10 tablespoons of sugar (I’m sure there is some measuring cup equivalent, but this is the way the recipe was shared with me and it keeps it easy to remember)
2.5 cups of flour (I use unbleached, all-purpose)

Mix together and then roll out, cut into shapes and bake in a 325 degree for just 6 to 8 minutes (but watch them carefully and just allow the edges to brown).  I often bake the cookies weeks in advance and keep them frozen between layers of parchment paper  in my freezer.

These cookies have such a simple and rich flavor that I never use a large cookie cutter to make them, almost always preferring a bite-size cookie, which is just sweet enough. 

My default cookie cutter is the star or some celestial-themed shape (more on that another day).  You can decorate or frost these cookies  (and I have) but I’ve come to prefer the simplicity of the pure, rich shortbread taste. 

I have these special cookie cutters (I have a heart-shaped one as well) that I use to create  cookies and place on the edge of the coffee or hot chocolate cup. 

How fun is that?!  This is just the right amount of sweet and a nice ending to a holiday dinner or just anytime.