Flaky Shortbread Cookies

I read the Wall Street Journal this weekend; the back page of Section A in this photo says it all. Baking cookies seemed like a fluffy activity in light of these recent developments, but I often do my best thinking while creating something, and I felt like spreading around a little buttery-light helping of love to my friends on this side of the Atlantic. This particular recipe was published in the Washington Post food section as "Big-Hearted Shortbread" a few years back.

Wishing all my Northern Irish friends and the rest of the folks in Ulster peace and luck this St. Patrick's Day -- and beyond.

cookie ingredients

• 2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c cornstarch
• 1/2 c tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 c powdered sugar

glaze ingredients

• 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 5-6 tbsp heavy whipping cream or 3-4 tbsp milk
• kelly green paste or gel food coloring
• light green sugar

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instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees farenheit, placing rack in center of oven. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper if making super-huge cookies (4" or greater) or two baking sheets if regular size cookies. Both are yummy.
2. In medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Tip: if you don't have a sifter or can't be bothered, mix together thoroughly with a wire whisk.
3. In a large bowl on mixer's medium speed, beat together butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. This may take a few minutes. Make sure you stop periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture until it's all incorporated and the dough holds together when pressed. It will be more dense than a good pie crust and not as sticky. Pat dough into thirds.
5. This is the most important step in the whole recipe: use a silpat liner when rolling out the dough. You won't have to add any more flour, which means the cookies won't be hard as hockey pucks after baking. Roll dough to 1/4" thick and cut out shapes, placing on parchment-lined baking sheet ~1" apart. Keep gathering and re-rolling scraps until you can't cut out any more shapes.
6. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time until the edsges and bottoms of the cookies are lightly brown, about 20 minutes, making sure to turn the sheet around halfway through. Ovens are usually hotter in the back, and turning the sheets ensures even browning. Do not over-bake, and after removing sheet from oven, let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. For the glaze, mix together the powdered sugar, cream or milk, and vanilla in a small bowl, adding coloring with a toothpick until you reach the shade you want. The glaze should end up a spreading consistency, like thin peanut butter. Using a knife or frosting spatula, spread glaze on each cookie, let set for 5 minutes, and sprinkle with green sugar. Place on wire rack until icing dries completely, about 2-3 hours.

makes ~10 super-huge cookies or ~30 regular cookies