Whipped Shortbread is one of those staple cookies, usually found on the trays of those relatives that make a delicious assortment of cookies for Christmas. Not only are those my favourite gifts to receive during the holidays, it’s where you’ll find me when you invite me over to your Christmas open house.
Last year, I took it upon myself to learn to make a handful of the recipes on those trays, creating cookies that someday my kids would want to eat (and so I didn’t have to rely on the local bakery for delicious Christmas cookies). Whipped shortbread was one of those recipes. The fact that it was three ingredients, seemed easy enough, and was one of my personal favourites, had me excited about the prospect of making the cookies at home.
The first try was terrible. Horrible. I mixed in the flour too early and rather than a whipped consistency, I had a dough that looked like our go-to sugar cookie dough recipe. Waste of butter. The second time around, I gave it another try, but didn’t whip it for long enough. After reading through multiple recipes, and trying a few with add-ins like corn starch, I happened upon the three ingredient recipe we’ve been using ever since. The third time around, the second pound of butter, and more than five minutes of ‘whipping’ in the KitchenAid mixer, we had a dough that looked like it was on the right track.
Light and airy, this whipped shortbread is easy enough to make for every occasion - but the cookies are so delicious, you might want to reserve them for special occasions (you’re welcome, date-night-jeans).
Whipped Shortbread Cookies
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups flour
Combine the icing sugar and butter together in the mixer. Mix well, until it resembles icing. Add in the flour, a small amount at a time until combined, mixing on low. Turn up the mixer to medium/high speed and whip for five to six minutes. Stop the mixer every couple of minutes to use a spatula and scrape down the sides.
Use a cookie scoop, packed full, to get a uniform cookie shape, or a cookie press (if you’re feeling extra fancy).
Bake at 275 degrees for twenty-five to thirty minutes. Take them out of the oven before the edges get crispy, and cool on a wire rack.
Top with sprinkles, maraschino cherry pieces, or a bit of icing or caramel, drizzled on top. You could also leave the cookies naked, they’re pretty delicious that way, too.
