Decorated Shortbread Cookies

I absolutely love shortbread cookies because they are so easy to make, the dough rolls out nicely and the recipe is great for making holiday cut out cookies. There's only three ingredients in the recipe: butter, flour and confectioner's sugar. They taste delicious.

For a little added pizzazz pick up a bag of Wilton's Candy Melts for the icing. You can pipe on writing and decorations or dip the cookies or frost by using a spatula. These handy little candy melts I found at Joann's Fabric store. A 12 ounce bag cost me $2.24! You get about 36 cookies per batch and they me cost right around $2.80 to make plain; with frosting about a dollar more as I did not use all the melted candy. Basically it's about ten cents a cookie so you can never go wrong budget wise with shortbread cookies.

This is a child friendly project that you can get the little ones involved in helping cut out the cookies and the older children can help with decorating or even rolling out the dough. It's a great way to spend time with the kids on the weekend and you end up making good memories with them that will last a lifetime!

Get out your mixer and rolling pin and get started!

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 2 cups sifted flour + extra for rolling out the cookies
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1. Place the butter in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until it's light and creamy.
2. Slowly add in the confectioners sugar a little at a time until fully incorporated.
3. Slowly add in the flour a little at a time until fully incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl to plastic wrap. Form a disc and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
5. After the dough has chilled, lightly flour your rolling pin and surface and roll the cookies to 1/4" thickness.
6. Cut out the cookies and re-roll any scraps until you have finished with the dough.
7. Carefully place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 1 inch apart and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 12-15 minutes.
8. If you are decorating with holiday colored sugars, sprinkle on the cookies BEFORE you bake them.
9. If you are decorating with icing allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Follow the directions on the 12 ounce package of candy melts and you can begin to decorate your cookies. I admit mine don't look professional but I am certain that my husband who loves his sweets won't mind one bit. These make great give a way gifts for other family members, friends, the teacher at school or co-workers.

I did have fun making these and I think you will too. Buttery and delicious little cookie with a crunch!