Frosted Pretzel Shortbread
 
 
These cookies are a simple shortbread, but some of the flour is replaced with ground pretzels to make a delicious salty/sweet combination. They are then frosted with Magnolia Bakery's vanilla buttercream.
Serves: 1 dozen
Ingredients
For the Pretzel Shortbread:
  • 1 ½ cups pretzel flour (~3-4 cups pretzels, see note)
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Buttercream:
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 – 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper or a silpat mat on a cookie sheet.
  2. In a small bowl combine the pretzel flour, all purpose flour, and salt.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer add the butter and powdered sugar. Mix until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
  4. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll to ¼-inch thick. Use the cookie cutter of your choice (I used a glass, because I apparently do not have a circle cookie cutter) to stamp out the cookies.
  5. Put the cookies on the prepared cookie sheet. Baked for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are set. Be careful not to burn them. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  6. Make the frosting while the cookies are cooling. Place the butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium until smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes. Add in the remaining sugar ½ cup at a time until the icing has reached your desired consistency (you may not use up the full 4 cups). It should be thick enough to easily spread. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.
  7. Once the cookies are completely cooled, spread a nice layer of frosting on each one. I like my cookies to be heavy on the frosting. Feel free to add some sprinkles and a little bit of sea salt on top!
Notes
Place 3-4 cups of pretzel twists in a food processor until it is finely ground.
Recipe by Just J.Faye at https://www.justjfaye.com/2014/10/13/frosted-pretzel-shortbread/