Whipped Shortbread

Another family favourite, these delightful cookies really do melt in your mouth. Serving them in a red basket with xmas cellophane is a creative way to serve these. Use any garnish on these cookies that your guests will enjoy. You can eat these like candy!

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 90-95 shortbreads

Ingredients

• 1  lb butter, softened (REAL butter,no substitutions on this!!)
• 1⁄2 cup cornstarch (1/4 cup more is optional, cookies will still melt in your mouth,less fragile if transporting)
• 3  cups flour
• 1  cup icing sugar (2 tbsp or 1/4 cup more is optional for a little or a lot more sweetness)
• 1⁄2 cup  glace cherries, chopped fine

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter.
2. Add dry ingredients.
3. Whip for 10-12 minutes; batter will be shiny, and form peaks.
4. Fold in chopped glace cherries. Or garnish with a topping of your choice.
5. Optional- Chill dough overnight(you can keep for a few days in the fridge) before baking take out and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, whip it up again in the mixer for about 5 minutes. This option allows you to roll and shape the cookies. Still melt in your mouth!
6. Drop from a 1 tsp measure OR roll dough on to a cookie sheet based on the the option you chose. (I level the tsp to make uniform, tiny cookies. A very small cookie scoop or tiny melon scoop is handy for uniform cookies. Due to how soft and delicate this cookie is making it bigger is not recommended).
7. Bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes, OR until bottom edges begin to brown. If they are smaller then watch the first batch to monitor the time required per batch.
8. Watch them carefully they can burn quickly.
9. When removed from the oven allow them to cool for about two minutes on the cookie sheet, carefully move them onto a cooling rack with a spatula.
10. Allow them to cool on the rack for 15 minutes or more. If they are NOT cool they will crumble more easily and won't set properly.
11. My taste tester's at home tell me they taste better when they are cool. If you are taking to a cookie exchange baking them one day before it allows the texture and taste to be perfect.
12. ***Avoid letting them cool longer than necessary on the cookie sheet or they might stick and break apart when you try to move them.