It's that time of year again where our house is filled with Christmas baking, our Christmas tree is standing proudly in our living room, and lights are strung up everywhere. I love how cozy our home feels, and now if it would just snow on Christmas eve that would be perfect.  (It's snowed once here this year, halfheartedly, and then the weather remembered we're not like the rest of Canada and jumped back up to 15 degrees.  Booya!)

I always think of shortbread of being a Christmas cookie, even though it's not really.  But we always make shortbread with sprinkles, cherries, jam, or chocolates pressed into them at Christmas time!  They just melt in your mouth, and are such a nice addition to a plate of baking.

S h o r t b r e a d   C o o k i e s

[recipe from Jean Pare - Holiday Entertaining]
yields: about 9 dozen

Ingredients:

1 lb (454g)  butter (not margarine), softened

3/4 cup sugar, half brown, half powdered

4 cup all-purpose flour

[topping]: sprinkles, chocolate chunks, maraschino cherries, quartered and blotted dry (optional)

Directions:

1)  Mix softened butter and sugar very well.  

2)  Slowly add in flour.

3)  The dough shouldn't be too crumbly, and should hold together. (If yours is too crumbly, just add another tablespoon or or two of softened butter.)

4)  Roll into 1 inch balls, gently flatten with a fork making a crisscross pattern.  Add sprinkles, half a cherry, or a chocolate piece.

5)  Bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Happy Christmas baking!
 

-kelsey