These buttery shortbread Christmas cookies hold their shape very well. Top with frosting and decorate as you please!
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour: 3 cups
- white sugar: 0.75 cup
- salt: 0.25 tsp
- ½ cups cold butter: 1 piece
- rum extract: 0.5 tsp
- almond extract: 0.5 tsp
- water: 2 Tbsp (cold)
- confectioners' sugar: 2 cups
- milk: 2 Tbsp
- milk: 2 tsp
- drop food coloring, or to desired shade: 1 piece (optional)
- colored edible glitter: 1 Tbsp (or as desired)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Whisk together flour, white sugar, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
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Stir rum extract, almond extract, and water together in a small bowl. Stir into flour mixture, a little bit at a time, until mixture holds together in a ball when you squeeze it.
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Place dough on 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.
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
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Bake cookies in the preheated oven 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.
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To make the frosting: Whisk confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and 2 teaspoons milk together in a bowl until smooth. If desired, divide frosting into small bowls and tint each to desired shade with food coloring.
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Frost cooled cookies. Sprinkle with edible glitter before frosting sets.