When making Christmas shortbread, it is important to consider the type of sugar used in a recipe; this can have a tremendous impact on the flavor and texture of the final product. Different recipes can call for just about any type of sugar, and this can alter how moist or soft the cookies are. For Christmas shortbread, it can also be worthwhile to look at how it can be decorated for the holiday, such as through cut-outs or the use of frosting. The simple nature of shortbread cookies also makes them an excellent choice as a foundation for more complex creations, like bar cookies.
Christmas shortbread cookies are typically made from only a few simple ingredients, including sugar, butter, and flour. The type of sugar used in a recipe, however, can alter a great deal about how the final product tastes and feels. Recipes that call for white sugar, for example, are likely to have a fairly simple flavor, while those that require brown sugar are going to be more complex due to the molasses in it. Softer Christmas shortbread cookies typically include cornstarch, which may be added into the recipe, though powdered sugar already includes cornstarch.
Those making Christmas shortbread can also consider the different ways in which these cookies can be decorated for the holiday season. Cutouts are among the most common methods of decoration, using cutters or a cookie press to make a wide range of different shapes. Recipes that produce a somewhat firmer dough can make this easier, as some types of Christmas shortbread can be too crumbly for easy use as a cutout. Frosting can also be used to decorate these cookies, especially when mixed with red or green food coloring. Colored white chocolate chips or buttons are also available, which can be melted and the used for dipping the cookies into it.
Christmas shortbread can be an excellent starting point for making more complex or unique cookies. Recipes for shortbread are usually quite simple, often including only a few ingredients. This leaves a good deal of room for experimentation by the baker making them. Christmas shortbread can be used as a foundation to make more complex treats, such as the bottom layer of a bar cookie that is built upon it. Different layers of shortbread can also be combined and rolled into logs, then cut along the width of the log, to make spirals of varying colors or flavors in a single cookie.
