Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

It's Christmas Eve, I should be busy packing to go back home and celebrate this wonderful holiday. But I'm still itching to bake!! I wonder has this become an obsession, haha! Some how just thought it's "incomplete" to not bring something yummy back for my family and friends. :)

So I decided to bake some Christmas cookies for my friends and nieces back home in Singapore before I leave my kitchen behind for 2 weeks. I used Chocolate Shortbread Cookie, sturdy enough for the decoration and traveling. Also decorated these shortbread cookies with some festive-looking royal icing.

Ingredients Chocolate Shortbread Cookies:
125g of plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
110g unsalted butter, room temperature
75g caster sugar
30g cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla extract to the sugar mixture and mix well.
• Add flour and stir till all blended. Roll to a ball and flatten it, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes for easier handling later.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and grease the paper.
  
• Preheat oven to 180.
  
• Roll out the chilled dough to about 1/4 inch and cut out desired cookie shape.
• Bake cookie in oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely on rack

Ingredients Royal Icing:
125g icing sugar
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tsp of Meringue Powder
Preferred food coloring

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, add icing sugar and heavy cream, mix well.
• Add Meringue powder and stir till well blended.
• Divide the icing into number of portions of colors you want to use.
• Mix in food coloring and stir well.
• Pipe on cooled cookie and place in refrigerator to harden.

These goodies can be keep in airtight containers and refrigerate up to a week!

Have a wonderful and festive holiday!