Refrigerator Shortbread Cookies

These are probably my favorite cookies ever.* They are versatile, buttery, delicious and only have 5 ingredients (excluding mix-ins). I actually use this recipe in place of sugar cookie dough when making cut out cookies. I know, I know, that's not how you're "supposed to" make fancy cut out and iced sugar cookies. Well, this blog is called Craftankerous for a reason: sometimes I'm contrary. Whatever, this is how I do it.

Refrigerator Shortbread Cookies

This buttery shortbread is great plain, but can be jazzed up with additional ingredients.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough

Mix-ins (see 'Flavor', below)

Make

1. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt on medium speed with electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
2. Reduce mixer to low speed and beat in flour, mixing until a dough forms. 
3. If desired, stir in any mix-ins (see below).
4. Divide the dough in half. Working on a lightly floured surface, gently roll each piece of dough into a log about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. (You may need to flour your hands a bit.) 
5. If desired, roll each log in a decorative coating such as finely chopped nuts, candy sprinkles, coconut, etc., pressing in gently. You’ll need 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of coating to cover both logs.
6. Wrap logs tightly in parchment paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, or freeze. 

Store

1. Refrigerate up to four days. 
2. Alternatively, freeze up to 3 months wrapped in plastic or parchment. 
3. Slice off the number of cookies you want and store the rest! If refrigerated, let sit on counter for 30 minutes before slicing; if frozen, let sit on counter for 60-90 minutes before slicing.

Bake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap log and use a sharp knife to cut 1/4-inch slices. (If using a frozen log, let sit at room temperature 15 minutes before slicing.)
2. Place slices 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 13 to 15 minutes or until golden around the edges. Gently transfer to wire rack to cool.

Flavor

You can mix in a total of 1/2 to 3/4 cup of whatever you like! Here's a list of examples to get you started:

• Chopped dried fruit
• Grated citrus zest
• Chopped nuts
• Sprinkles (great for rolling, too)
• Mini chocolate chips (or other flavor – chop if using regular size)
• 1-4 Tablespoons of chopped herbs or ground spices

These are some of my favorite mix-in combinations:

• Pistachios and dried cranberries
• Lime zest and basil (fresh or dried)
• Mocha - use chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans
• Dried blueberries and freshly grated ginger
• Ground cinnamon (2T), nutmeg (2t), allspice (2t) and ginger (1T)

Nutrition information, per cookie (no mix-ins): 84 calories, 1g protein, 9g carbohydrates, 5g fat, 3g saturated fat, 17mg sodium, 14mg cholesterol.**

*I reserve the right to change my mind whenever and as often as I like, even in the same sentence.
**The nutrition information is from the original newspaper article, which I found in the Charlotte Observer. The article is no longer available online. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the nutrition information.