3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies

Tried bake mode in the Emeril air fryer. Started with 18 minutes after pre heat 350 degrees. Stopped baking with 4 minutes remaining. Still cooling, but expect they won't last too long. Afterall, this is shortbread, right?

I followed the recipe exactly and these are easy and very good! They definitely taste like shortbread over sugar cookies and this batter can’t be rolled out FYI. I added chocolate chips on top of half the batch and those are really yummy as well. Also I just plopped the cookie batter down by the spoonful onto parchment paper on baking sheet using my fingers. I’ll be making again for sure!

Gluten Free Conversion substitutions: Using Krusteaz brand GF All Purpose Flour (and hints from others’ comments) I increased the flour to 2 cups + 1 teaspoon. I also added 1/8 teaspoon almond extract and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. I sprinkled colored sugar on, but instead of cherries (eww) I dotted each with a white chocolate chip in the first batch. In the second batch I used red sugar + 3 semisweet chocolate chips and 1 white chocolate chip. As my pic shows, the white chocolate chips turned brown on top, so I think I would try folding them into the dough next time (with the original amount of flour and perhaps some xanthan gum to help them stay together.) Rather than using a greased/ungreased cookie sheet, I used parchment paper for easy cleanup. As with many GF cookies, these look great ON the cookie sheet but tend to break/dissolve when you try to move them. NOTE FOR GF BAKERS: Adding the extra flour was a BAD CHOICE for gluten free flour—when you bite into them, they basically turn into powder. NOTE FOR ALL: I can’t imagine how bland these would be without the added vanilla and almond flavorings. Even with those added (I would add more next time!) the taste was simple and traditional, like plain shortbread or a Dutch Letter, but quite bland.

These were the most popular out of the 5 different cookies I made this year! For those who are diabetic, I want to let you know that you can use Splenda baking as a substitute for the sugar and they come out great! I changed the last batch to rum extract with cinnamon drops and they were the Winner!

I’ve been making this recipe for years but the last few years the cookies tended to melt or were so fragile they broke. This year, I used organic flour and increased amount to 1 and 3/4 cups. After using the cookie press to create the cookies I put them in the freezer for 15 min before cooking. 10 minutes is too long for little cookies but otherwise the y turned out perfectly. A friend who is a high school foods teacher and used to work in a bakery suggested the switch to organic flour. At the school they had noticed a real difference in the quality of product over the past few years and have discarded many cookie recipes they used to use.