Christmas Star Shortbread Cookies

Just a quick little stop-in to share the recipe I'm currently using for super cute and oh so drool-worthy Christmas cookies :) 

It's really just a basic shortbread cookie but the beauty is that it doesn't crumble like regular shortbread, it rolls out and cuts like a dream and really just melts in your mouth!

I'm not sure I've ever made a single batch of anything in my life (thank you, Ouma!!) save cakes which you're not really supposed to double up on but I've tried most of my recipes doubled up anyway!



Feel free to halve the quantities but it feels so good to share treats (with family, neighbours, colleagues) and it's no extra work!


Melt Away Shortbread

600ml Cake Flour (I only use unbleached stoneground)
50ml Corn Flour (this is a little more tricky as I haven't found an organic option in SA)
200ml Icing Sugar
250g Soft Butter
5ml Vanilla Essence

Preheat oven to 150 degrees CELCIUS. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Rub in butter until you have a fine crumbly consistency Plop dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Use your electric beater to mix (this achieves the same as sifting with zero effort and one less dirty item!!) Add the soft butter and use the electric beater to mix until you have fine crumbs. TA DA!! Add the vanilla essence and now get your hands in there - it may take a little effort to get it to form a dough but once it does it's glorious! Don't panic and add any extra liquid!

Pat out on a floured surface (the original recipe says un-floured board but I found it needs a little encouragement not to stick... I also find that on very hot days the dough needs to go into the fridge for a little to set and makes cutting and moving a bit easier (I'd say no more than 30 min though or else rolling becomes hard) 

Roll out to 5mm or so thick and cut with a cookie cutter. 

Place on clean baking tray (no flour, no spray and cook) and bake for 30 minutes. Watch them though as if you cut small shapes and the cookies are thinner then they'll bake in 20 minutes. You don't really want them to go brown or they start getting really dry - hence the cooler oven.

Store in an airtight container or package in a cute little tin or jar to share.