Mini Egg Shortbread Cookies

Excerpted from Cake & Loaf Gatherings

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Yield: 42 2-inch cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes

In an average year our bakery goes through more than seven hundred pounds of chocolate candy mini eggs. That’s equivalent to the weight of two full-grown gorillas. Just when we think people are sick of mini eggs, they request more! One customer request led to the creation of these mouth-watering cookies. These melt-in-your-mouth shortbreads last much longer than the Mini Egg Chocolate Chunk Cookies (page 61) and Ruby Chocolate Chunk Cookies (page 41), so you can prepare them up to two weeks in advance for your gathering and they will still taste freshly baked. Because they stay delicious for weeks, they also make a great take-home gift for your guests. Just make sure to bake them thoroughly and that they are dry all the way to the centre if you need them to last; they tend to hang on to moisture in their centres. They are beautiful gems to add to your platters or charcuterie spreads for a little extra colour and an unexpected treat to balance out a cheese tray or other savoury spread.

Cake & Loaf Gatherings by Nickey Miller and Josie Rudderham

*SILVER WINNER FOR THE 2024 TASTE CANADA AWARD FOR GENERAL COOKBOOKS*

Gather at home for all your favourite occasions throughout the year and celebrate—dinner to dessert—with over 80 mouthwatering recipes.

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1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup icing sugar
½ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
¾ teaspoon salt
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
10 ounces (285 g/1½ cups) lightly smashed milk chocolate candy mini eggs

All ingredients Butter Icing Sugar Cornstarch Vanilla Bean Paste Salt All-purpose flour Mini eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, lightly cream the butter on medium-high speed just until it is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not incorporate air into the butter. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the icing sugar, cornstarch, vanilla bean paste, and salt and beat on low speed, gradually increasing to medium-high speed, until the mixture is smooth and no chunks remain, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the flour and mini eggs and mix on low speed, gradually increasing to medium-high speed, until the flour is fully incorporated, without whipping air into the dough, 1 to 2 minutes.
Scoop twenty-one 1½-tablespoon portions of cookie dough onto each prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. Gently press down on the cookies to flatten them to ¾-inch thickness. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12 to 16 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets.

You can make these cookies ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. They can be frozen, in an airtight container, for up to 2 months. Thaw them uncovered at room temperature for an hour before serving.

NICKEY MILLER and JOSIE RUDDERHAM are co-founders of Cake & Loaf Bakery in Hamilton, Ontario. They are living wage advocates and passionate about equality inthe culinary industry. Their progressive leadership has earned them several nationaland local awards. Nickey and Josie have appeared on Food Network’s Donut Showdown.