Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies
A festive Christmas cookie! They are made up of a buttery, crisp and tender, beautifully red cookie that's dipped in a sweet, rich and creamy white chocolate and they're finished with decorative festive sprinkles.

#Butter #CocoaPowder #Flour #Lemons #PowderedSugar #VanillaExtract #WhiteChocolate

Servings: 34 cookies
Ready in: 4 hours 30 minutes
Prep: 45 minutes
Cook: 24 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups minus 2 Tbsp (266g) unbleached all-purpose flour (use scoop and level method to measure)
2 Tbsp (11g) unsweetened cocoa powder (not dark or Dutch, I used this one)
1/4 tsp (heaping) salt
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (120g) powdered sugar*
4 tsp liquid red food coloring, recommend McCormick
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
9 oz. white chocolate, or a little more if needed**
Sprinkles (optional)

Instructions:
1. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer cream together butter and powdered sugar until combined. Scrape down bowl.
3. Add in red food coloring, vanilla and lemon juice then mix on low speed until combined. It's okay if fat and liquid don't fully emulsify.
4. Add flour mixture then blend on low speed until combined.
5. Smooth dough out even then cover bowl and chill about 1 hour or until it's firm enough to handle.
6. Use a large metal spoon to scoop dough out and divide into two equal portions.
7. Working with one portion at a time compress that piece snuggly so there aren't air pockets in the center (keep the two portions separate).
8. Then on a sheet of parchment paper (or surface you aren't worried about staining), roll each portion to a smooth and even 5 1/2-inch log (turn and forcefully tap each end flat against surface to smooth ends as well).
9. Wrap each piece with parchment paper and chill until firm, about 1 to 2 hours.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees during last 15 minutes of chill time. Line two 18 by 13-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.
11. Remove one dough log from the fridge. Cut into even 1/4-inch thick slices.
12. Transfer 12 portions to baking sheet spacing evenly apart. Refrigerate remaining slices.
13. Bake in preheated oven until cookies are nearly set, about 11 - 14 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
14. Repeat process until all of the dough has been used up. Once cookies are cool dip in white chocolate.
15. To melt the white chocolate place it in a medium microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat in microwave on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring well between interval until melted and smooth.
16. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip halves of each cookie in white chocolate (carefully scrape some of the excess on the bottom side of cookie off along the inside edge of the bowl), transfer to parchment paper.
17. Decorate with sprinkles if desired or crush up one of the cookies finely and sprinkle over the white chocolate.
18. Transfer baking sheet to fridge and let white chocolate set, about 15 minutes. Remove cookies from parchment paper while white chocolate is still cold.
19. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature (or refrigerate or freeze for longer shelf life).

Notes:
*Cookies themselves aren't very sweet so if you don't plan on adding a white chocolate dip to coat them then I recommend increasing the powdered sugar by 1/3 cup.
**I was able to get away with just 9 oz. but if you are using a white chocolate that's a little thicker when melted you may need about 12 oz. Another option is to use 2 cups white chocolate chips and 2 Tbsp coconut oil or shortening.  ...read more