Frosted Shortbread

FROSTED SHORTBREAD

Cookie dough:

8 oz. unsalted butter

4 oz. sugar

1 egg

12 oz. flour

Icing:

2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. half and half

Tiny bit of almond extract

Combine butter and sugar into electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy. Scrape. Add egg and mix briefly to incorporate. Add flour and mix until it just starts forming a ball. Do not over mix because there will be kneading and that will end the mix.

Wrap up dough and refrigerate until ready to make cookies. At least an hour and a half and up to a couple days. It can also be frozen at this point and used much later.

Portion out the dough into quarters for easier kneading and rolling. Knead the portion you are working with for a couple seconds to warm up and finish the mix.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out how you’d like.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes depending on your cutter size. You don’t want to brown these cookies all over because it will make them hard.

Mix the icing ingredients in a small bowl while the cookies are baking. Add more sugar if it feels too wet or more half and half if it feels to dry.

Put 1/4 c. or so of icing in enough small bowls for your colors (if using). Add your coloring to each 1/4 c amount and mix.

Flood the cool cookies one at a time with a small off set spatula or butter knife. Then go around perimeter of the cookie with knife or spatula to stop the icing from pouring over. If you would like to add dots of colored icing at this point to drag a toothpick through, you should pipe on now. It works best if both icings are wet and not allowed to dry.