A thin, crisp,
butter cookie, these shortbread cookies are known as “Punitions” in France. This
recipe makes the perfect rolled dough for Christmas cookies, Valentines Day or
any other occasion that might call for a cut out butter cookie. You can freeze
this cookie dough for up to a month – which makes this recipe ideal for getting a head start on your holiday baking.
The cookies are
delicious alone but are fun to decorate with white icing, colored sugar or sandwiched together with your favorite jam.
These
shortbreads should be completely blonde when baked, not golden brown. However,
if you do get a brown edge – don’t worry I’ve included a white icing recipe to
hide those little blemishes.
Ingredients
10 tablespoons
salted butter, softened
¼ cup granulated
sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
In the bowl of a
stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar
until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and continue to mix until
evenly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, slowly add
the flour and mix until dough is smooth and just comes together. Transfer dough
to a work surface and form into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and
freeze until chilled, about 20 minutes.
Position a rack
in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets
with parchment paper. Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured work
surface.
Roll
the dough until ¼ -inch thick. Lightly flour the cookie cutter and cut shapes
out of the dough. Transfer cookie cut outs to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat
with any remaining dough and transfer to another baking sheet. Be sure to leave
plenty of room between cookies. Bake until set but not golden brown, about 10
minutes. Let cool completely to room temperature before decorating.
White Icing
1 ½ cups
confectioners’ sugar
5 tablespoons
whole milk
