This shortcrust pastry is the ideal base for creating fragrant and crumbly cookies, perfect for any occasion. Not only for Christmas, but you can customize them for birthdays, parties, or any special event. You can decorate them with sugar paste, add a layer of jam, cover them with chocolate, or sprinkle them with cocoa. With just a few ingredients and a simple process, you’ll get cookies that maintain their shape and captivate with their delicate taste.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 1/4 oz butter (cold and cubed)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg (medium at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanillin)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 2 Baking Sheets
- 2 Parchment Paper
- 1 Cookie Cutter link in the recipe
Steps
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cold cubed butter, powdered sugar, egg, and vanilla extract or vanillin.
Work the ingredients with your hands, rubbing them between your fingers, until a homogeneous mixture is obtained without lumps of butter. The butter must be completely incorporated into the dough, disappearing entirely. Alternatively, you can use a mixer to prevent the dough from warming with the heat of your hands. The colder the dough stays, the better.Form into a block, flatten it slightly, and wrap it in parchment paper. Place the block in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
After resting, divide the dough block in half, keeping one part in the fridge while you work on the other.
Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper until it’s 1/5-1/4 inch thick.
Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes (I’m using the cookie cutters I purchased click here –> Cookie cutters *Affiliate link) and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use the stamp by dipping it in unsweetened cocoa powder and pressing it onto the cookie to apply the design.
After reshaping and flattening the dough scraps, return them to the refrigerator to cool before reusing. Repeat the same process with the second half of the dough, always alternating chilling to maintain the right consistency.
Once the first tray is filled, refrigerate it for at least fifteen minutes so the butter solidifies, and the cookies maintain their shape during baking.
Preheat the oven to 356°F. Take the cookies out of the fridge and place them in the oven. Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes, ensuring they’re golden underneath but not on top.
Once out of the oven, the cookies will be very soft and fragile, so let them cool completely on the baking sheet before handling them to avoid breaking.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Share it with your friends and let me know in the comments how your cookies turned out!
With the same dough and the addition of sugar paste, I also made these cookies for my son’s PAW Patrol-themed birthday.
Customize Your Cookies!
Chocolate Lovers: dip half of the cookie in melted dark chocolate and let dry on parchment paper.
Jam Filled: sandwich two cookies with a thin layer of jam.
Snow Effect: a dusting of powdered sugar will make them irresistible!
FAQ – Perfect Shortcrust Pastry for Cookies
Can I prepare the dough in advance?
Yes! The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours or frozen for up to 3 months.
Why do my cookies deform during baking?
Probably the dough wasn’t cold enough. Make sure to let the cookies rest in the fridge before baking.
Can I replace butter with oil?
Better not, because butter provides structure and crumbliness to the dough.
