These chocolate shortbread cookies are a variation on a traditional shortbread recipe, and I decided to decorate some with white fondant and the others with royal icing. Watch this quick utube clip by Chef Roble to see how easy it is to make Royal Icing. Once the icing is made put it into an icing bag with a small piping nozzle and decorate your cookies .
To cover with fondant, roll out the store bought fondant and while it is still soft, press pattern moulds, lace or any decorative surface into the fondant. You can buy beautiful Marshmallow Fondant now, and it is really tasty and a great improvement on the traditional fondant. If you have the time to make it , here is a very good recipe by Wilton. Cut the fondant into the same shape as the cookies with the cookie cutter, and glue the fondant onto the cookies with edible glue. How To Make Edible Glue For Gumpaste & Fondant
Its fun to make an effort for Christmas, so add your favorite toppings and store them in an airtight container for all the unexpected guests you will be getting over Christmas.
Christmas Cocoa shortbread cookies
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 170 g of butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- Put butter in mixer bowl and beat until soft.
- Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy .
- Add the egg, vanilla extract,and salt, and beat until combined.
- Sift flour and cocoa and add to mixture .
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and cool for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, roll out to a thickness of about 3 mm.
- Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
- Arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Bake at 180 ° C for about 12 – 15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Ice with royal icing.
