Swirled Shortbread Cookies

I hope you aren't sick of cookie recipes yet, because here is another delicious, holiday cookie recipe I have been making on repeat this past month! These shortbread cookies are melt in your mouth delicious! I included them in my holiday cookie box this year, they're just so pretty! You can dip them in chocolate, or leave them plain - either way they are delicious! These cookies are relatively simple to make provided you have the right tools. You will need electric beaters, or a stand mixer, as well as a piping bag and a large piping tip. I prefer to use Wilton 8B tip, however any large open tip will do the trick. You will also need a non-stick unlined baking sheet to bake the cookies on.

The cookies only use 5 ingredients - butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and flour. You start by whipping the butter really well - this is where the electric beaters will come in handy! Whip the butter and sugar about 5 minutes on the highest setting your mixer has; it should be very light and fluffy. When you think you've whipped enough, whip a bit more for good measure. Next, beat in the egg and vanilla, and once that is thoroughly combined beat in the flour. You cannot over-mix this cookie dough so make sure you really beat everything in well! Next, spoon some dough into the piping bag fitted with a large piping tip, and pipe swirls onto the baking sheet. The dough will be pretty thick, so make sure you choose a piping tip with a wide opening to make it as easy as possible. Bake in a 375 F oven and allow to cool before removing from baking sheet. Though these cookies are a bit more time consuming that your average cookie, they are well worth the effort! They are so delicious, and so beautiful. If you opt to dip in chocolate, make sure you use a high quality chocolate bar for best results!