Shortbread Cookies - It's Throwback Monday

This evening I'm reposting one of my old favorite recipes. It's one I created a couple of years ago. They are SO very easy to make and absolutely delicious. It's my Shortbread Cookie recipe. I've posted the original recipe as well as a link to a Chocolate Chip Shortbread version that simply folds in 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (I use 70% cacao chips). They are delicious either with or without the chocolate chips. Shortbread cookies are a basic butter cookie that are typically not too sweet. However, they can be dressed up to become the most decadent cookie if you choose to by simply stirring other ingredients into the batter, glazing them, flavoring the dough, frosting or cutting them out into all kinds of cute shapes (dipping them in melted chocolate or ganache would be awesome). They are easy to make, delicious, and can be simple or elegant depending on how you choose to make them. After mixing the dough together, it gets rolled it into a log, wrapped and chilled until firm and then "voila"...you've got slice and bake cookies! I really love these cookies. Check out the recipe for these beauties below. Enjoy!

Shortbread Cookies

Makes 2 dozen 2 ½-inch cookies

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons softened butter
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
½ cup powdered sugar free sweetener (I used Swerve confectioner’s style)
2 cups blanched almond flour
Liquid stevia, to taste (I used 1 teaspoon NuStevia simple syrup)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, vanilla, salt and powdered sweetener. Add almond flour and mix until dough forms. Taste dough for sweetness and if additional sweetness is desired, add tiny amounts of liquid stevia to the dough to achieve desired sweetness.

Scoop the mound of dough into the center of a sheet of plastic wrap, wax paper, or parchment paper. Using your hands, roll dough into an approximate 2-inch diameter cylindrical log; wrap and refrigerate dough until chilled and firm, about 1 hour (the dough can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated for several days).

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice chilled dough into approximate 1/3-inch thick slices and place on baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool on pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling (cookies firm up as they cool).

*Notes: Granular sweeteners (like erythritol, Swerve, Truvia, etc.) can easily be powdered by using a small food processor or coffee grinder which helps eliminate the grittiness sometimes created when using these type sweeteners. Variations of this cookie can be made using the basic shortbread cookie dough; dip in melted chocolate, drizzle with glaze, frosting, or using different extracts or citrus zests, to create different flavors (e.g. adding 2 teaspoons of lemon zest to the dough for lemon shortbread cookies). Sandwich type cookies can be created by placing decadent fillings between 2 cookies. Chilled dough can easily be rolled out and cut into different shapes with cookie cutters and then decorated. To make Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookies, fold 1/4 cup chocolate chips into the dough before chilling.

*Nutrition Information: For 24 cookies, each cookie contains approximately 2 net grams carbohydrates (total carbohydrates minus fiber) and less than 1 gram of sugar.