Raspberry Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle! Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a hint of raspberry flavor, these tender cookies make a wonderful tea time treat. A sweet gift to package for Mother's Day or to add to a dessert table.
Mother's Day is just around the corner, and since I can't pay for each of you to send your mama on an all-inclusive trip to a gorgeous locale, I'm doing the next best thing: Recommending that you bake her some cookies.
According to my analytics demographics, most of you reading this might actually be the mom in question here. And I know it's no fun to have to bake cookies for yourself, but hear me out: When you bake your own cookies, you don't have to cater to anyone else's taste buds. There's no, "EWW, WHAT ARE THOSE LITTLE RED SPOTS?!!" or "I ONLY LIKE COOKIES THAT ARE PUFFY/SQUARE/CHOCOLATE, etc. etc." There's no, "No, I want to dump in the flour!!!" There's no need to remind someone to get their finger out of their nose or not touch body regions that shouldn't be touched while preparing food; no need to prompt hand washing for the zillionth time. There are no misshapen, rock hard, over-handled, under-mixed cookies that you have to grin and bear as you eat because you, Queen, are the one in charge.
These Raspberry Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle are not a cookie made for your average rugrat {although, my son thoroughly enjoyed them once he got past the fact that they were not chocolate chip.} They're a shortbread cookie with a little panache, for no other reason than the fact that I adapted the recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks that is filled with French dessert delicacies. {Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan, in case you're interested.} I used her basic sablé cookie recipe as a base for these, then decided to add some freeze-dried raspberries to the mix for an extra pop of flavor and color. Ooh la la.
It's hard to see here, but they're slightly pink in hue. The subtle raspberry flavor comes through in the form of a pleasant sweet-tart thing that happens when some of that pulverized freeze-dried raspberry dust makes its way to one of your taste buds. These cookies aren't very sweet at all, so I added a white chocolate drizzle on top to balance things out, and I love how it worked with the fruity notes and crumbly goodness of the buttery cookie.
Method-wise, they're fairly easy to make and have simple ingredients aside from the raspberries, which are usually available in the dried fruit aisle of grocery stores. The dough comes together quickly in the mixer, then is shaped into logs and set in the fridge to chill for a while so they're easier to slice. {I've linked to a great demo of my favorite way to make even, tight dough logs for slice & bake cookies in the Notes section of the recipe, so make sure you check that out before you start.} Once it's chilled, you can easily cut the dough into coins, which make for pretty, uniform cookies that are great for packaging and gifting.
But before you start "gifting" anything to anyone, let's rewind for a minute and take a moment to remember that these are a special treat for you, Supermom. So, do what you gotta do {hide in the closet, eat them in the car line at pickup before your kids come piling in, etc.} and make sure to take a second for yourself on this one day of the year when everything you give the other 364 days of the year is noticed. You sure deserve it. <3
Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup freeze-dried raspberries
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 cup {2 sticks} unsalted butter softened
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2 cups flour
Instructions
- Place the granulated sugar, freeze-dried raspberries, salt and powdered sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse just enough times to pulverize the raspberries -- it's ok to have a few small chunks left. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter for about a minute until smooth. Add in the sugar mixture and beat for another minute or until incorporated.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla; mix until combined. Add the flour slowly and mix until just incorporated.
- Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a log -- about 9 inches each. (See rolling tip in notes.) Refrigerate for about 2-3 hours or until firm.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Prepare 2 baking pans by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a sharp knife, slice ¼ inch slices from the log and place them onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for about 18-20 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.