Rainbow Sprinkle Shortbread

- Amanda

I’m going to keep try and keep this post short and as sweet as possible. Emotions are running high today with good and bads news coming in simultaneously. Life is interesting like that sometimes…..But let’s talk cookies. I think short and sweet is pretty fitting for these Rainbow Sprinkle Shortbread. They’re the cutest little gem of a cookie. The perfect marriage of 4 simple staple ingredients like butter, sugar, flour and a hint of salt (and then vanilla for good measure.) The taste and texture are everything you want in a classic buttery shortbread and the rainbow edges add such a fun and celebratory flare sure to make all your little (and even big) loves smile.

On this 23rd day of April, making a special fuss felt in order, as here in Turkey this is a day of celebration. It’s National Children’s & Soverignty Day (Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı) and there are usually events that take place around the city with lots of fun things for kids to do and treats to eat. Obviously those events won’t be taking place this year, so people are having fun at home and finding ways to celebrate “together” through social media. There’s also word there will be a shared moment this evening from people’s balconies, but the 9pm time will probably eliminate my early sleepers, or at least one of them.

So, I thought these cookies would be the perfect treat highlighting two of my own children’s favorite things. Cookies and sprinkles. Their reactions when they saw me rolling the dough in a mountain of sprinkles proved I made the right choice. And their excitement at getting to try the first samples out of the oven couldn’t have been greater. This cookie might be our new National Children’s Day tradition.

And if we needed one more reason to make the day special, we are anxiously awaiting word of my sister’s baby’s arrival into this world. Mr T and Miss Sprakle are really really happy to have a new little cousin and these cookies will no doubt help us ring in the good news. Or at least give me something to nervously nibble on as I try to remain calm and content at having to miss the big event I had planned on being a part of.

The shortbread are fairly simple to make with just a bit of effort making sure the edges are covered with as many colorful little sprinkles as possible. It couldn’t get more straightforward than a whopping 5 ingredients (6 if you factor 2 kinds of sugar.) Just don’t skip out on the salt. Trust me.

I’m inclined to think you’ll enjoy these cookies as much as we do and maybe make them a part of one of your traditons as well….But if you need one more nudge to give these a try….my husband who pretty much shuns any dessert that doesn’t contain chocolate, ate two in the first 5 minutes of getting home from work (after his whole sterilization routine of course.) And then when I was baking off more to send to his mom, stole one right off the hot tray.

Print

Rainbow Sprinkle Shortbread

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, slighlty softened
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (256g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, sugars and salt. WIth the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until it pales in color and becomes a little fluffy.

  2. Add the vanilla and mix for a few seconds.

  3. Then add half the flour and pulse on low speed for just a few seconds, scraping down the sides periodically until slightly incorporated. Then add the rest of the flour and mix until almost fully combined. (You will yield a nice and tender cookie if you don't over mix the dough.) Use your spatula to gently incorporate any loose flour.

  4. Dump the dough out onto a clean sheet of parchment paper. And form into a log.

  5. Cut the log in half. Pour half the sprinkles out onto the parchment and roll both logs in the sprinkles until mostly covered, using more sprinkles as necessary.

  6. Place the logs side by side again and roll up snugly in the parchment. Place in the refrigerator for an hour or wrap the parchment in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for longer storage.

  7. To bake, preheat the oven to 325F/ 162C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and remove the log from the fridge. (if frozen, let defrost on the counter a bit.)

  8. Using a large, sharp knife (not serrated) slice the dough into rounds, just under 1/2" thick and place on the parchment-lined pan. Add a few more sprinkles where necessary if desired. (If they don't slice easily, wait a few minutes for the dough to soften just a tad.)

  9. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until just golden, rotating the pan halfway through baking, Remove and let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before carefully transferring the cookies to a wire rack to completely cool.

  10. Store the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to a week

Recipe Notes

*The frozen logs of dough can be wrapped tightly and kept in the freezer for a few months.

*Adding lemon or orange zest can give the cookies a nice citrus note, but will be visible on the surfaces.