I love food. I love food so much that I frequent the gym so that I can eat more of it. Well, that's not exactly true, I don't necessarily eat more; I'm a quality of quantity kinda gal, but that's for another time. The problem with loving food as much as I do is that there is a constant trade-off between trying something new and sticking with the recipes you know and love.
Food is an adventure and I want to taste it all, but there are always going to be times in the kitchen when you spend an afternoon making cookies only to think to yourself, why didn't I just make the other ones. When I first saw this recipe in the new EatInEatOut magazine, the purest in me thought Caitlin, don't mess with a good thing! Whipped shortbread is already perfection but moments later another little voice in my head whispered but what if they're delicious?
By now you've probably deduced that these cookies don't thrill me. That being said, if you like whipped shortbread and are looking for something a little different, this might just be the cookie for you. Since it is, at the end of the day, a whipped shortbread cookie, it does the one thing you would expect a whipped butter cookie to do, melt. These cookies have a lovely melt-in-your-mouth texture and finish with a delicate cinnamon flavour. I could've done without the chocolate drizzle, but it does look quite nice.
All that being said, my coworkers absolutely devoured these cookies; two at a time.
Vanilla & Cinnamon Whipped Shortbread Cookies
1 lb butter (2 cups), at room temp
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup chocolate chips + 1 tbsp butter
Preheat oven to 325F
With an electric mixer, whip butter on HIGH for 10 minutes. After 5 minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the cinnamon fo the remaining 5 minutes.
Whisk together the cornstach, powdered sugar, and flour. On low speed mix in the vanilla and then the mixed dry ingredients until well combined.
Roll dough into balls, about 1 heaping tbsp each, and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass in flour to prevent sticking, then gently press the cookies flat, dipping back in flour for each cookie.
Bake 12-13 minutes - they won't really brown, but they will set. Cool slightly and then transfer to a cooling rack.
For the chocolate drizzle, melt the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Drizzle with the tines of a folk or use a sandwich bag to pipe the chocolate onto the cookies.
Let the chocolate set fully before stacking.