Bitty Shortbread Bites

Did you ever need a recipe for a really good, versatile cookie and just not have too much time for anything really time consuming or complicated? Well, you’re not alone. Most drop cookie batters need to be chilled before they are baked, so if you are making that type of cookie, you are looking at adding at least an hour or two onto your prep time.

I was recently doing some research on filled shortbread cookies and came across these delicious glittering sandwich cookies on this great blog called baked by Joanna. The original recipe called for the cookie dough to be rolled in coarse colored sugars prior to baking, but I wanted something that I could throw together quickly because I had guests on their way over for coffee. The dough was really easy to put together and I ended up simply dusting them with powdered sugar, but you can drizzle them with melted chocolate or even add chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips. This dough will even work great filled with a chopped date or plum filling…this I definitely want to try next time. Serve them simply with your coffee or they would be delicious next to a baked custard or pudding. You can even layer these into a trifle (instead of cake) with assorted fruit…now you see why I said versatile?

Bitty Shortbread Bites (makes about 30 pc)

8 oz butter

½ cup (2 oz) powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/3 cups flour (7 oz)

2/3 cup cornstarch (2.5 oz)

¼ teaspoon salt (do not add if using salted butter)

sanding sugar in various colors **optional

powdered sugar for dusting **optional

melted chocolate for drizzling **optional

Add all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside. Put the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer and cream until fluffy, then add all of the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Use a small half ounce scoop and portion out the dough onto a half sheet pan lined with a sheet of parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes until the bottoms begin to turn a golden brown color. Allow them to cool slightly and toss into powdered sugar or cool completely and drizzle with chocolate.