Christmas Shortbread Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; with a pastry cutter, chop in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the rum extract and almond extract into the water in a small bowl. Mix into the dry ingredients, a little bit at a time, until the mixture holds together in a ball when you squeeze it.
• Place the dough onto a floured work surface, and sprinkle with flour; roll out into a sheet 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes with floured cookie cutters, and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Bake the cookies just until the edges are lightly browned, 15 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool on sheets for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to finish cooling. Cool completely before decorating.
• For frosting, whisk the confectioners' sugar and milk in a bowl until smooth. If desired, divide frosting into small bowls, and tint each bowl a desired shade with food coloring. Frost fully cooled cookies, and sprinkle with edible glitter before the frosting sets.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the egg, then stir in the mint extract.
• Combine the flour and salt; stir into the sugar mixture.
• Add several of drops of food coloring until desired shade of green, mixing well.
• Roll into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Slice into 1/4-inch slices and place on cookie sheets.
• Bake for 9 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden at the edges.
• Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
• Drizzle with melted white and/or dark chocolate if desired.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add flour and cornstarch, beating until well blended. , With hands lightly dusted with additional cornstarch, roll dough into 1-in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press lightly with a floured fork. Top with nonpareils or cherry halves. , Bake at 300° until bottoms are lightly browned, 20-22 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Steps:

• Sift together cornstarch, confectioner's sugar and flour.
• Blend in butter with spoon until smooth soft dough forms.
• Shape into 1 inch balls. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with lightly floured fork.
• Bake in 300 F oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Note: If dough is too soft to handle, cover and chill for 1 hour.
• Hints: my sister got me into using confectioner's sugar instead of flour for flattening these cookies. We use the maraschino cherries cut in half and pressed into the center of the cookies after flattened. You can use glazed cherries too. We use one 1/2 red cherry and 2 1/4 green cherry to make holly berries on some cookies. We leave some without cherries, just in case someone doesn't want them.