In a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter and the confectioners sugar until light and fluffy, on medium speed.
1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup confectioners' sugar
Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the salt and cornstarch.
2 cups all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ cup cornstarch
Slowly add in the dry ingredients mixing on low speed. Combine until a dough forms, it might start off dry but will come together to form a large ball.
Take the cookie dough out of the bowl and tightly wrap in clingfilm. Place the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
Roll the cookie dough out onto a lightly floured surface until it is ¼-inch thick. Cut out your shapes. You can reroll any scraps.
Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet or plate and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350℉/175℃ and line another baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the chilled cookies 2 inches apart on the two baking sheets and bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. While one sheet is baking, place the other in the fridge so the cookies stay cold.
Let the cookies cool completely before decorating.
Video
Notes
My recipes have been developed and tested in metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way.Serving Size: the serving size all depends on the size of the cookie cutters you are using! Spiced Orange Shortbread: this recipe originally was lightly spiced and had orange zest in it! Add the zest of 1 orange, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of cloves. Butter: I use European style butter in my recipes. This will make your finished bake much creamier and richer.Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ½ teaspoon fine salt. Please note I am using Diamond Kosher salt and not coarse kosher salt!Vanilla Extract: feel free to swap out the vanilla for almond extract.Icing: this is my favorite cookie icing recipe that I used here.Storage: keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.