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Who’s ready for shortbread round 2? These are the same cookies that I did my abstract buttercream painting on, but this time I’m showing you how to do a watercolor effect. If you want to roll and cut out shapes from your shortbread cookies, this recipe is THE BEST. It’s easy to make with relatively few ingredients. So bust out your spatulas and rolling pins and let’s get started!
What You’ll Need to Make Watercolor Frosting Cookies
- One batch of roll out shortbread cookies (recipe below)
- 1/2 batch of basic American buttercream (recipe below)
- Food coloring (I use Americolor)
- Offset spatula or knife
How to Paint Watercolor Buttercream
Getting this watercolor frosting effect could not get any easier. First, spread a thin layer of white frosting over the surface of each cookie. Stick them in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to let the frosting dry out a little. Meanwhile, take your leftover frosting and dye them in your colors of choice (I think pastels look really nice for watercolor effects).
Now comes the fun part. Randomly plop a few little blobs of colored frosting on top of the white frosting layer. When I say randomly, I mean it. RANDOMLY. Don’t overthink it!
The cookies actually look pretty cute with just the blobs right? You could leave it like this and say you meant to do it. Abstract, am I right?
For the watercolor effect, just take your spatula and swipe over the tops of the cookies, smoothing out the surface. That’s it! If you have too much frosting, just scrape your spatula on the edge of a bowl or on a towel. (Note: You don’t need to put your cookies in the fridge before smoothing out the tops; you want the buttercream to still be wet so the colors run into each other.)
What do you think? It’s cute, right? And so easy! This could be great for a kid’s birthday party or just baking at home. If you make them, be sure to tag me in the pictures on Instagram! I’d love to see what colors you use!
Best Roll Out Shortbread Cookie
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (two sticks)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour
- 2 egg yolks
Instructions
- Beat room temperature butter, salt, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until mixture is very pale and fluffy.
- Add egg yolks and beat until mixture is homogenous again.
- Add flour and mix until fully incorporated.
- Roll out dough into discs approximately 1/4" thick. Cover with plastic and chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes but up to overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and cut out your desired shapes. Leftover dough can be rerolled a couple times for more cookies.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. The longer you bake, the crispier your cookie will be, but be careful not to it burn. If you prefer a softer crumb, bake until just barely golden.
- Let cookies cool and frost with icing or buttercream of your choice, or eat plain! Cookies will save in an airtight container at room temperature (without frosting).
Basic Vanilla American Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 sticks room temperature unsalted butter (1 cup)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Beat the butter until fluffy.
- Add powdered sugar and beat until well combined.
- Add cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
- If using a stand mixer, switch the paddle attachment for a whisk attachment and whip for a few minutes to get a lighter, fluffier frosting.
Looking for more cookie recipes? Try these: