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ByRosemary
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These easy and delicious slice and bake or cut out Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies are made even better with the addition of brown sugar. The perfect Holiday Cookie.
Shortbread Cookies are a must bake cookie for the Holiday Season, one of my favourites are my Mom’s Shortbread and one my daughter says are no fail are these melt in your mouth Whipped Shortbread. Both worth making!
As you probably already know, I adore Shortbread, any type, bar or cookie it doesn’t matter. I am practically spending all my time making shortbread cookies for Christmas sharing this year.
In my opinion you either love it or hate it. Remember Shortbread is supposed to be dry, that’s what makes them shortbread. If you are looking for a moist cookie, well it’s not these ones.
So for me shortbread plus cinnamon is perfection. What I also liked so much about these cookies is the fact that they can be rolled and sliced, or made into your favourite cut out cookies, both are easy and delicious.
Table of Contents
How to make Cinnamon Shortbread
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and cinnamon. In the mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar. Gradually add the flour and mix just to combine.
Move the dough to a flat surface and knead to combine. Divide the dough into two parts and roll into a log shape, or form into a compact dough ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate. Remove the logs and cut in 1/4 inch slices, or roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thick and cut out with your favourite cookie cutters, then roll the slices or cut outs in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
Place the cookies on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake, let cool before serving.
If you find the dough too crumbly, then you can add a little more softened butter, or even a few drops of water if you can’t get it to combine. Chilling the dough also helps too.
Why chill the dough?
Chilling the dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. The fat in the chilled cookies will take longer to melt them room temperature dough. This helps the cookies to spread less. Also be sure to use flour with at least 12% protein.
Can the dough be made in advance?
Yes the dough can be made in advance. Wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to three days. Or you can freeze the dough wrapped and then placed in a freezer safe bag or container for up to three months.
The dough can either be thawed overnight in the refrigerator before baking and continue with the recipe. Or you can thaw the rolls a few minutes while the oven preheats, this makes it easier to cut the dough into slices. Then continue as instructed in the recipe. Remember that the baking time may take a few minutes longer, but be sure to watch them closely.
How to store the baked cookies
The baked cooled cookies should be stored in an airtight container and kept in a cool area. They will keep for up to a week. They can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to ten days.
How to freeze the cookies
Cool the cookies completely before placing in an airtight freezer safe bag or container. They will keep for up to two to three months.
To thaw the frozen cookies, I always remove them from the tin and place them on a plate ready to be served. That way condensation doesn’t occur to make them soggy.
More delicious Christmas Cookies to make
Italian Orange Ricotta Cookies
Italian Butter Cookies
Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Chip and Nut Fruitcake Cookies
So if Shortbread Cookies are one of your favourites too and you are looking for something a little different, then I hope you give this Cinnamon Shortbread a try and let me know what you think! Happy Baking.
Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies
Rosemary Molloy
These easy and delicious slice and bake Cinnamon Cookies are made even better with the addition of brown sugar. The perfect Holiday Cookie.
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 15 minutesmins
Chilling Time 1 hourhr
Total Time 1 hourhr25 minutesmins
Course Christmas Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 32cookies
Calories 112kcal
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Ingredients
CINNAMON SHORTBREAD
2 1/2cupsall purpose flour(320 grams)
1pinchsalt*
1teaspoonground cinnamon
1cup butter softened(225 grams)
1/2cup brown sugar packed(110 grams)
*If using unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon salt. Be sure to use a good quality butter, apparently this year 2022, store brand butter quality is not what it used to be. Less fat could mean a dry not so tasty cookie.
CINNAMON / SUGAR FOR ROLLING
2teaspoonsground cinnamon
½cupgranulated sugar(100 grams)
Instructions
CINNAMON / SUGAR FOR ROLLING
In a small bowl mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon, set aside.
CINNAMON SHORTBREAD
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, set aside.
In the bowl of the mixer, on medium-low speed cream the butter and sugar until creamy approximately 2-3 minutes.
Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until almost combined. Move to a flat surface and gently knead to form a compact dough. Divide in two parts and form into two logs 4 inches (10 cm) long, or form into a single dough ball (if making cut out cookies). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 60 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 325F (160C). Line 1-2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the fridge and slice into 1/4 inch slices or on a lightly floured flat surface roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thickness, with your favourite cookie cutters cut out. Roll the slices or cut outs in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Make sure you use a high protein flour (about 12%) to prevent spreading.
The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be.
Cornstarch provides the shortbread with structure, but its biggest job is keeping the cookies extra soft, tender, and light. I love adding a small amount to chocolate chip cookies too. Optional Coarse Sugar Topping: For an optional sparkly crunch on your shortbread wedges, add a sprinkle of coarse sugar before baking.
Shortbread should always have a tender, melting texture, but be slightly crisp when you bite into it. It should not generally be damp or wet underneath. A classic shortbread recipe will also only have flour, butter and sugar as the ingredients (in a 3:2:1 ratio) and not egg, which could lead to excess moisture.
Step 3: The Secret to the Absolute Best Shortbread
After shaping the cookies, don't rush to the oven! Instead, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so (overnight is OK, too). A short stay in the fridge will firm up the cookies and solidify the butter. This will help keep them from spreading too much.
The word "bread" comes from "biscuit bread" which was made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and dried out in the oven to make biscuits. Why do you poke holes in shortbread? The holes allow the moisture to escape during baking and more even heat distribution. This helps dry out and crisp up the cookies.
Butter is an emulsifier and it makes cookies tender. It also adds in the crispy-around-the-edges element. Adding too much butter can cause the cookies to be flat and greasy. Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly.
Greasy mess: Extra butter means more fat, making the dough greasy and difficult to handle. Spreading like crazy: Cookies lose their shape, spreading thin and flat instead of staying nice and round. Uneven baking: The excess fat can burn easily on the edges while leaving the center undercooked.
Should butter be cold or room temperature for making shortbread? Always start with cold butter straight from the refrigerator. This will keep the dough from warming up, making it greasy and difficult to roll out.
The science is simple: According to the flour authorities over at Bob's Red Mill, cornstarch can help “soften the rigid proteins of the flour, resulting in a light and chewy dessert.” “The cornstarch complements the flour in absorbing the liquids, but won't develop gluten structure like the flour will,” stresses ...
Generally that floury taste can be attributed to several things. Too much flour, bad recipe, improper mixing or underbaking, but the most common culprit is too much flour. Too much flour is most usually caused by scooping with the measuring cup and is probably the most common kitchen mistake made today.
Use unsalted butter for balanced flavour. Unsalted butter was traditionally used in baking because it was a superior product to salted - salt is used as a preservative so unsalted butter was thought to be fresher.
If the edges burn and the center is undone, it means the heat didn't have enough time to reach the relatively cool center before the edge was too hot. The temperature gradient depends on the amount of heat from your oven and the size of your cookie - and to some degree on the thermal properties of your cookie sheet.
It's not without reason that Walkers is known as The World's Finest Shortbread. Our traditional pure butter shortbread fingers are baked to perfection, and the sweet, delicious buttery taste is unlike any other.
Piercing the shortbread with a fork is not only for decoration, but it's meant for more even baking. Poking holes in the shortbread allows the heat to penetrate the cookie, hence more even baking. Notice I'm using powdered sugar here.
Fine Cooking explains that the butter should be at refrigerator temperature. While many cookie recipes call for softened butter or at room temperature, if your butter isn't cold when making shortbread, it's likely to turn out greasy or be difficult to roll out.
Is shortbread supposed to be soft when it comes out of the oven? Yes, upon cooling it will firm up. Shortbread should have a soft and tender texture but be slightly crisp when you bite into it.
Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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