Pretty-in-Pink Shortbread Pigs

As the host of this week's Project Pastry Queen, I choose Pretty-In-Pink Shortbread Pigs. The cookies taste better than any other shortbread recipes I've tried - buttery, crisp and not too sweet. It can lend to alot of different variations (I'm already thinking of chives/bacon and lavender/thyme). These cookies are also very versatile for decorating. With the holidays coming around, they are the perfect way to celebrate the season and Shawnda has the right idea with her shortbread snowflakes! You can use any shape and size cookie cutter for the recipe - the possibilities are endless. Another winner for the Pastry Queen!

Pretty-In-Pink Shortbread Pigs
adapted from The Pastry Queen

Ingredients
Shortbread
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Powdered Sugar Icing
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pink food coloring

Directions
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. In a separate bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture, beating on low speed. Stop beating as soon as the flour is incorporated (overbeating will produce a tough cookie).

Form the dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling it out. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a flat, smooth, floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the cookies with a 4-inch pig cookie cutter. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to prepared baking sheets, placing them 1/2 inch apart. Combine the dough scraps and reroll the dough to cut more cookies.

Bake cookies 10-12 minutes, or until light brown around the edges. Cool the cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove with a spatula and cool completely on racks about 5 minutes before icing.



Whisk together powdered sugar, milk and extract. Divide the icing into 2 parts, with most of it going into a medium bowl. Use food coloring to tint the larger batch of icing. Leave the remaining frosting untinted. When the cookies are cool, dip them face down in the pink icing., being sure to cover the whole cookie. Set the cookies, icing side up, on parchment paper and let the icing harden before continuing to decorate. If you do not have a pastry bag, cut a tiny tip off a corner of a plastic sandwich bag. Spoon the white icing into the bag and squeeze a dot out of the corner hole to make an eye, and a set of round beads around each pig's neck to make a string of pearls. I used candy pearls for the necklace.



Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap for 1 month in the freezer.



Sweetopia has become my authority on decorated cookies - her work is AMAZING! I had  extra dough left and made some butterfly cookies too.



I followed her recipe for a royal icing to allow for ease of decorating. She also has great tutorials - including a butterfly one. There are tons of cute designs on her blog - including owl cookies!



While making these shortbread pigs, I had a yummy thought - Pretty in BACON Chocolate Shortbread. Shortbread cookies dipped in melted dark chocolate and sprinkled with crisp pieces of sweet maple bacon. Stay tuned to see how that turns out!