Whipped Shortbread cookies

     These are another of those things that are always at my house during Christmas. My Mom always makes them, as does just about everyone else on both sides of the family. These melt in your mouth shortbreads are easy to make, which is good, because you end up needing a lot of them around our place. They are also completely different from the commercial variety. Imagine my disappointment when I first tried the store bought cookies.

There they are again, Ma and Pa Craig



     This recipe stands out as the only thing my mother bakes that my father hates. He calls them "sand cookies" and thought it was hilarious that in French they are called "sable" which translates to sand. I love these cookies, so does my Mom, so sorry Dad, you're out voted.

Whipped Shortbread cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 ½ cup flour

½ cup icing sugar

Chopped Maraschino cherries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream together butter and icing sugar and add the flour and mix until well combined.

Drop teaspoon sized portions onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and garnish with a piece of the cherries.

Bake for 10 -15 minutes, or until the edges brown.

     These cookies come out of the oven really soft, so let them cool before you handle them or they will crumble into pieces. I'm pretty sure they freeze well, but they have never lasted long enough for me to try.

     These are what I grew up knowing as shortbread. I have seen a hundred recipes that are quite different from this one. The crisp variety which seem to be the most popular I always knew as sugar cookies. What ever you call them they are delicious and disappear by the dozen at our holiday gatherings. Happy baking and enjoy.