These cookies are a great addition to your holiday baking repertoire and will be an awesome crowd-pleaser. With a light, fluffy shortbread base and thick, fudgy ganache frosting, they are a close copycat to the Black-Eyed Susan cookies from Safeway, an all-time family favorite.

Supplies

Ingredients

For the shortbread cookies:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted, room temperature butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch

For the chocolate ganache frosting:

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
4.5 tablespoons salted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup whipping/heavy cream

Step 1: Step 1 - the Cookies: Cream the Butter and Sugar

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar together for 3-4 minutes, until very light and fluffy. This step is key in getting the texture of the cookies correct.

Step 2: Step 2 -The Cookies: Mix in the Flour and Cornstarch

Add in the flour and the cornstarch and mix until just combined. The mixture should be in large clumps and will come together into balls when pressed.

Cover the mixture, and put it into the fridge for 2 hours, or the freezer for 1 hour.

Step 3: Step 3 - the Cookies: Prepare to Bake

Once the cookies are done chilling, remove them from the fridge and roll them into balls (recipe makes around 16-20 cookies), place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and press them lightly down on the tops to flatten.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and place the baking sheet back into the freezer to chill while the oven is preheating.

Step 4: Step 4 - the Cookies: Bake! (And Cool)

Once the oven is preheated, bake the cookies for 19-20 or until the tops looks set, then take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.

The cookies will need to be completely cooled before they are frosted or else the frosting will melt off of them, so I recommend not starting the frosting until the cookies are done baking, so you aren't even tempted to frost the cookies straight out of the oven.

Step 5: Step 5 - the Frosting: Combine and Heat

Place all frosting ingredients into a small saucepan over low heat and stir continuously to melt and combine.

Step 6: Step 6: the Frosting - Cooling

Pour liquid frosting into heat-proof bowl and cool to room temperature.

Once the bowl is no longer warm to the touch, place the bowl in the fridge and allow to further cool and thicken for at least one hour.

Check the thickness and stir after once hour, allowing to continue cooling until frosting is a pipeable consistency.

Step 7: Step 7 - Bringing It All Together

Once the cookies and the frosting are separately cooled and ready, fit a piping bag with your desired piping nozzle and fill the bag with the frosting.

Frost each cookie with a generous dollop of frosting and leave the cookies to set at room temperature before eating.

Cookies can be kept in a sealed container at room temperature for several days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Enjoy!