Description
Delightfully buttery and crisp, these Piped Butter Bow Cookies are charming shortbread treats with a hint of saltiness and a beautiful pink hue. Perfect for gifting or festive occasions, the soft dough is piped into elegant bow shapes, then baked to golden perfection. This recipe offers expert tips to achieve the ideal consistency for piping and baking flawless, delicate cookies every time.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup butter (very soft but not melted)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (or icing sugar)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- pink food coloring (as needed)
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour (300g)
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (or milk)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure easy cleanup.
- Soften Butter: Use very soft butter that is firm but easily indented with a finger, avoiding melted butter to maintain the right dough consistency for piping.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl or stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the softened butter and powdered sugar. Mix with an electric mixer just until combined to create a smooth base.
- Add Flavor and Color: Mix in the vanilla extract, sea salt, and pink food coloring until evenly distributed. Add enough pink coloring to reach your desired shade, keeping in mind the color will slightly lighten once flour is added.
- Incorporate Flour and Cream: Gradually add the all purpose flour to the butter mixture and mix until the dough begins to form. Add the heavy whipping cream and mix just until a soft dough forms, avoiding overmixing.
- Prepare Piping Bag: Transfer half of the dough into a piping bag fitted with a coupler and a small open star piping tip. For better control and to prevent breakage, use two disposable bags with one inside the other.
- Pipe Cookie Shapes: Pipe bow-shaped cookies onto the parchment-lined baking sheets. If piping is challenging due to stiffness, gently warm the dough by massaging it inside the bag or using a hair dryer to evenly soften it.
- Chill Before Baking: Freeze the piped dough for 10 minutes to help maintain their shape during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake one sheet at a time in the oven’s center rack for 8 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly golden.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes to firm up before carefully handling or transferring.
Notes
- Using very soft butter is key to achieving the perfect piped dough texture for easy shaping.
- The double piping bag setup helps prevent the bag from breaking or bursting during piping stiff dough.
- Chilling the dough after piping ensures the cookies hold their delicate shape while baking.
- You can customize the cookie shapes beyond bows to any piping designs you like.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness and crispness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 82 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 66 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 13 mg
