Pecan Toffee Shortbread Stars

I am always on the look out for good cookie recipes.  You can never have too many cookie recipes, right?  As long as you have your exercise routine in place you should be fine.  Mine has kind of fallen by the way side these last couple of weeks.  If I don't get back to it I am going to have a lot of work to do after Christmas.  I found this recipe on Cooks Country website (which is by the way my new obsession).  It took a pecan shortbread recipe, which is already almost perfect, and added two of my favorite things, toffee and chocolate.  These were delicious straight of the oven and still tasty a couple of days later.  My sister and I agreed that maybe a little chocolate drizzled on them would put these on the top of the Christmas gift list.  Careful, the dough is delicious too and because it doesn't have eggs in it you can eat your fill, unless you want baked cookies later.  I am just saying. Another great thing about this recipe is that you can bake two pans and once so you're done so much quicker.  Oh, and there isn't a picture because I ate them all before I thought to take a picture.  You'll have to make them and take your own picture I guess.  Also, you don't have to use a star cookie cutter, turns out I don't have one, I made mine into Christmas trees.  Enjoy!

Pecan Toffee Shortbread Stars

Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour refrigeration
Bake Time: 12-14 minutes (I think my oven is going because these took about 17 minutes, so keep an eye on them)
Yield: Depends on your cookie cutter size, I got about 2½ dozen

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ c. cornstarch
¼ t. salt
12 T. unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE WHEN MAKING SHORTBREAD)
¼ c. granulated sugar
¼ c. packed light brown sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
½ c. mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. finely chopped pecans
½ c. Heath Toffee Bits (without chocolate)
Confectioners' sugar for serving or try the chocolate drizzle
Directions: Whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt in bowl; set aside.  With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute.  Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture, chocolate, pecans, and toffee; mix until dough forms, about 1 minute.  Gather dough, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. 

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350°.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  On lightly floured work surface, roll half of dough into 11-inch circle, about ¼ inch thick.  Using 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies, gathering and rerolling dough as necessary.  Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets and bake until edges are golden brown, 12-14 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.  Let cool 10 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.  Repeat with remaining dough.  (Cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.)