by Michelle Sproule | After posting a photo of these beauties on Instagram the other day, I promised to give our readers/followers the recipe, because eggnog plus icing plus shortbread! Seriously, how awesome is that? They don’t have a name, despite the headline, but rest assured, it’s the ultimate holiday season cookie, and a sweet little Christmas present from our kitchen to yours. Get started after the jump.

This is a hard cookie to screw up. If there’s any trick to it, it’s the baking time. Shortbread can be finicky, and mustn’t by over-baked, so watch your oven like a hawk. Be sure to make your icing first. Take your time so you get your flavour perfect.

Icing

1/2 cup soft butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
3-4 drops Eggnog flavour

Method

– Combine butter and icing sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth.
– Add Eggnog flavour (to taste), mix again.
– Set aside, occasionally dipping pinky in “to check”

Shortbread

1 cup soft butter
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour

Method

– Preheat oven to 350.
– Add cornstarch to butter in mixing bowl and combine with wooden spoon until smooth.
– Add icing sugar and salt to mixture and combine with wooden spoon until smooth.

– Add flour a half a cup at a time, mixing until incorporated.

– Divide your dough into two balls.

– Flour a large cutting board. With rolling pin, roll dough into thin sheet.
– Using a small, circular cookie cutter (I use the rim of a tempered glass), cut and place cookies on baking sheet.
– Bake for 10-15 minutes, eyeballing to make sure they don’t brown.
– transfer to cooling rack for 10-15 minutes

– Spread a generous amount of icing to flat side of one cookie.

– Place flat side of another cookie on top to create a sandwich.

For my most recent batch, I dusted the tops with some vanilla bean salt from The Salt Dispensary. Not essential, but it was awesome and it’s always fun to experiment. Enjoy!