Description
Delightful Christmas meltaway cookies bring festive cheer with their delicate texture and powdered sugar coating. Buttery, crumbly shortbread-style treats promise sweet holiday memories for family gatherings and cookie exchanges.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (230 g / 8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups (220 g / 7.75 oz) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (90 g / 3.2 oz) powdered sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup (30 g / 1 oz) cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup (120 g / 4.2 oz) powdered sugar, sifted (for icing)
- 2–3 tbsps milk or heavy cream
- ½ tsp vanilla or almond extract
- Food coloring (optional, red and green)
- Holiday sprinkles
- Edible glitter (optional)
Instructions
- Prep Station: Arrange two parchment-lined baking sheets and heat the oven to 350F (175C), creating an ideal baking environment.
- Butter Blend: Utilize an electric mixer to whip butter and powdered sugar into a voluminous, airy cream, transforming the mixture into a cloud-like consistency with smooth, even textures.
- Flavor Fusion: Integrate vanilla extract thoroughly into the butter mixture, ensuring a complete and uniform distribution of the fragrant essence.
- Dry Ingredient Harmony: Sift flour, cornstarch, and salt together in a separate bowl, creating a fine, well-combined dry ingredient mixture with a silky-smooth profile.
- Dough Formation: Gently fold dry ingredients into the creamed butter using low-speed mixing, carefully combining components until a tender, delicate dough emerges without overworking the mixture, maintaining its light and pillowy character.
- Shaping Technique: Delicately manipulate the soft dough, preparing it for precise portioning and baking, ensuring the gentle structure remains intact throughout the process.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Gently combine dry and wet ingredients to maintain the cookies’ delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Overmixing can develop gluten, resulting in tough, dense cookies.
- Temperature Control: Use room temperature butter for optimal creaming, creating a smooth, fluffy base that ensures even mixing and consistent cookie texture.
- Precision in Shaping: Roll dough into uniform balls to guarantee even baking and consistent cookie size. Use a small cookie scoop for perfect portioning.
- Cooling Technique: Allow cookies to cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar. Warm cookies will absorb the sugar, creating a wet appearance instead of a light, delicate coating.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 23
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 25 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg