Brown Sugar & Chocolate Chip Icebox Shortbread Cookies

I love shortbread cookies! They are crispy, light and yummy! My favorite shortbread cookies are the ones that have brown sugar on the outside.  The basic icebox shortbread cookie recipe comes from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/icebox-shortbread.  Hope you like these as much as I do!

Yummy shortbread cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling

Mix in 1/2 cup mini chocolate, peanut-butter chips, dried cranberries, raisins, etc.

1/8 cup of brown sugar

Directions:

1. Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt with a mixer until smooth.
2. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour, mixing just until the dough forms.
3. Divide the dough in half
4. Take half of the dough and stir in the chocolate chips or peanut-butter chips.
5. Roll each piece of dough into a 1.5-inch-diameter log.
6. Spread out the brown sugar on a flat surface and roll the log without the chocolate chips on the brown sugar, until the outside is completely coated (press the sugar on gently to help it adhere).
7. Wrap logs tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, 1-1.5 hours.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Unwrap logs and slice dough 3/8 inch thick, if the dough crumbles, leave it at room temperature 5-10 mins.
10. Place the slices 1 inch apart on a baking sheet.
11. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.
12. Cool on the baking sheet 1-2 mins then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Shortbread cookie ingredients.

Cream the butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla.

Slowly add the flour.

Divide the dough in two.

Spread about 1/8 cup of brown sugar on a cutting board, roll the dough into a log, roll the log of dough on the brown sugar so the outside is completely covered, next wrap it up in plastic.

Get some mini-chocolate chips (you can use cranberries, raisins, etc.)

Add the mini chocolate chips, roll it and wrap it up in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for 1-1.5 hours.

Slice them 3/8" thick and place on a cookie sheet liined with parchment paper.

Slice and bake in the oven 12-15 mins!

Eat them up!

Package them up and give them as small gifts.