Fun fact for you. Dec 4th is National Cookie Day. Just a little after Thanksgiving and the perfect time to start baking treats for the Holidays.  You will love this delicious , buttery shortbread cookie recipe. They just melt in your mouth and are so easy to make. My family loves these 5 ingredient shortbread cookies around Christmas time.

A new mug with these shortbread cookies, some hot chocolate mix is an ideal holiday gift for neighbors, or co-workers. I use a recipe I saw on TV years ago, the only change I made was adding vanilla extract.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks of unsalted butter), softened, at room temperature.
½ cup powdered sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. I used parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, butter, salt and vanilla extract.
3. Roll the dough on a floured surface (about ¼ inch thickness).
4. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. I used these along with a few others I have collected over the years.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they turn lightly brown.
6. Allow the cookies to cool completely. Enjoy!

Few Tips

1. The shortbread cookie dough will be a little crumbly as you mix in the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Just blend/mix until everything is incorporated.
2. The butter has to spread easily but still be cold. What I do is after mixing everything together, I chill the dough for 15-20 minutes. The chilling will help solidify the butter and help prevent too much spreading when baked.

You should definitely make them ahead of time during the Holidays and they last on the counter in an airtight container for 1 week. Mine get over before the week is done. This is the perfect cookie to pair with a cup of tea, coffee or hot cocoa. Dust these shortbread cookies with sugar, enjoy them with jam, citrus zest, chocolate or on their own.