Very few of us can resist shortbread cookies as these buttery, delicious bites melt in your mouth. Shortbread is a blank canvas allowing a variety of flavours to be mixed in. While you have your basics – butter, sugar, flour – there are several ingredients you can add to make each concoction different.

Peppercorn shortbread are made using pink peppercorns and while they have the same peppery bite as black peppercorns, they have a sweetness to them offering a subtle mellowness. The pretty pink hue creates a cookie that is also easy on the eyes.

Pink Peppercorn Shortbread

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp pink peppercorns, plus 1 tsp (divided)
  • 1 tbsp white sugar

Instructions

  • Using a mortar and pestle, grind the peppercorns. Combine 1 tsp of the peppercorns with the granulated sugar and set aside.
  • Add the corn starch, flour and 1 ½ tsp pink peppercorns until a dough forms. Roll the dough into a log, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350 F. degrees
  • Cut the log into even slices, 18 to 24 depending on the thickness. Whatever thickness you prefer, ensure that they are the same.
  • Sprinkle the peppercorn/sugar mixture on top of each cookie.
  • Bake the cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly brown.