shortbread cookies

og recipe by preppy kitchen

beat the butter and vanilla together till creamed (butter lightens in color and gets fluffier)
mix in the sugar and salt.
fold in the flour and knead into ball.
wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest/firm in the fridge for at least an hour.
after an hour or so, shape your cookies as you wish.
pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes.
line a baking sheet and place your cookies with a good two finger distance between each.
bake the cookies for around 10-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet about halfway through
let the cookies cool on a wire rack for a bit before munching.

use a glass mixing bowl as the color change in the butter is weirdly more evident.
humidity sucks ass and the dough might need more flour than prescribed so i have only given an estimate.
please make sure that you don’t cross the crumble line by adding too much flour cause then your cookies will be literal chalk in the mouth.
adding less flour will make your cookies spread out while baking which can mess up any design you have tried.
the dough can stay for about a month in the deep recesses of your fridge before going hairy and only needs to be kept at room temp for 20 minutes before you begin shaping it.
the dough is soooo versatile; be it color or shapes! you need to add any food coloring in the initial dough making though. food color stays grainy and weird if added post-refrigeration.
best indication of the cookies being ready is a slight browning of the edges.
BEWARE! the cookies are soft coming out and NEED to be cooled to harden!
the salt is really a preference/acquired taste. “don’t yuck my yum”!!