I know it's still January, but I started thinking about what little treats I could make that would be appropriate for Hondo's baby class Valentine's day party. The older kids you can be so much more creative with - rice crispie treats, fudge, all kinds of things. But babies and one year olds? You don't want it to be too messy, you don't want it to be too full of sugar, you don't want it to have anything kids might be allergic too, it has to be soft and not a choking hazard. Really, most of this stuff is just trying to look out for the teachers and make their life easier.
I have a couple of ideas, but this was my first go to, but I needed to give it a dry run to make sure it would end up and delicious in actuality as it was in my head. And you know what, they totally were.
These are a gussied up version on the gold standard of cookies. The shortbread cookie. If there was a cookie evolution, this cookie was the big bang. Its as basic as they come and delivers a lot of taste. Nothing but butter, sugar and four - the foundation upon which all cookie recipes are built.
The base of this recipe is what my Noni has been making forever - so probably out of an original Betty Crocker or home magazine from the 40's. I added raspberry flavoring, a hint of vanilla, some spinkles for color, cut them into hearts and then decorated with a dark chocolate and white chocolate zebra stripe.
These are seriously so good and so soft and not too sweet. They feel like the perfect Valentine treat for the little ones - but don't worry, I still have a few more ideas to flush out before then!
Raspberry Shortbread Cookies
Makes 2-4 dozen (depending on cookie cutter size)
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup butter, softened to room temp (very important)
- 3/4 cup sugar (I used granulated, but powdered is okay too)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 tsp. raspberry flavor
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tbs each of pink and red sprinkles
- 1-3 tbs. shortening
- 2 tbs. butter, melted
For the Drizzle:
- 1 cup each of dark chocolate morsels and white chocolate morsels
- 2 tbs. shortening, divided
Preheat your oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Really beat it until its super smooth and creamy - its basically the whole cookie. Beat in the vanilla and raspberry. Add the flour and beat until combined. If the dough is too crumbly (it will need to hold together to roll out) add 1 tbs. of shortening at a time. After each addition make sure you have given it a solid few minutes to beat in and see if its come together enough.
Once the dough is the right consistency, stir in the sprinkles. Roll the dough into a ball on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thick, and cut out your cookies with your desired shape. Place each cookie on the prepared cookie sheets.
Brush the tops of each cookie with the melted butter. Bake for 12-18 minutes, until the edges are JUST starting to brown (the time will vary depending on the thickness of your dough and the size of your cookie so just watch carefully). Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet.
While they are cooling, prepare the drizzle. In two bowls combine the morsels with 1 tbs. each of shortening. One at time, microwave each bowl in 10-15 second increments, stirring in between, until the morsels are melted. When the cookies are cool, using a spoon, drizzle the chocolates over the cookies. Let the chocolate set over night before stacking.