Melting Moments
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These Melting Moments truly are the lightest, most delicious, melt in your mouth, shortbread cookies that I've ever tried. Wonderful dipped in chocolate & freeze well too.
These melting moments cookies have been made in our family for decades from a recipe passed around by the bakers in our clan. Because of the potato flour (potato starch) in the recipe they are by far the lightest shortbread recipe that I have ever tried.
These really do melt in your mouth. My mom makes these with gumdrops on top.
My 9 year old daughter made these and she loves them dipped in chocolate. These had to get to the freezer particularly quickly and I doubt they are safe there.
My favourite as a child was always to top the cookie with a baking gum (gumdrop) . I always picked it off the cookie and saved it until the end. It always seemed like an extra little treat for when you finished the cookie.
I always get questions about the gumdrops for the tops of these cookies. Here in Canada, these baking gums (gumdrops) are carried by Bulk Barn, but I have been told sometimes only seasonally.
If you can't find them try cutting up larger gumdrops instead. Very soft gumdrops are not suitable though. Be sure to use the firmest ones you can find.
NOTE:
I am often asked about potato flour, an ingredient originally called for in this recipe, when we first posted it over a decade ago. It seems that the brand I once used no longer is called potato flour as it was years ago. Potato flour now refers to finely ground dehydrated potato. That is not want you want to use in this recipe.
Potato starch is much finer textured, very much like corn starch. If you cannot find potato starch, use cornstarch instead.
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This recipe was originally published on Dec 10 2007. Updated November 2020.
Melting Moments
These Melting Moments truly are the lightest, most delicious, melt in your mouth, shortbread cookies that I've ever tried. Wonderful dipped in chocolate & freeze well too.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- ⅔ cup icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup potato starch, (substitute cornstarch if potato starch is not available)
Instructions
- Cream together the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and lemon extracts.
- Sift together the all purpose flour and potato flour.
- Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and blend together until a soft dough is formed.
- Roll n one inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Flatten the balls slightly with a fork and add a gumdrop or half a glace cherry to the center of each cookie if desired.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until very slightly brown. These will still be quite pale when baked.
- Cool on a wire rack. These are also very good dipped in chocolate.
Notes
I am often asked about potato flour, an ingredient originally called for in this recipe, when we first posted it over a decade ago. It seems that the brand I once used no longer is called potato flour as it was years ago. Potato flour now refers to finely ground dehydrated potato. That is not want you want to use in this recipe.
Potato starch is much finer textured, very much like corn starch. If you cannot find potato starch, use cornstarch instead.
Recommended Products
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
24Serving Size
24 cookiesAmount Per Serving Calories 123Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 20mgSodium 65mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 1g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
These look really good but I live in a remote community in NWT and cannot get potato flour. Can I just double the regular flour?
No, you need something lighter than regular flour. You might want too try cake flour, rice flour or,even corn starh as a last resort but I really haven't ever made them without the potato flour. They really do melt in your mouth they are so light. They well deserve their name.
My thoughts exactly!
I'm going to see if the store we work for (The Northern) can order in cake flour. If not I'll try it with corn starch and let you know! Thanks!
Hi, Can you please tell me the difference between regular flour and cake flour. Where I come from we have cake flour, bread flour (different types) and corn starch? Bread flour is heavier than cake. Could you not just use all cake flour?
Remember that cake flour was only mentioned as a possible substitution.The distinct melting texture of these is due to the use of potato flour which is much lighter than any wheat flour. Potato flour is not difficult to find in small packages in most supermarkets. Possibly near the corn starch. From where are you writing?
I was wondering what choc. recipe did you use for dipping the melting moment cookies in?
I just melt chocolate chips in a double boiler to dip them in.
I make these all the time and substitute corn starch for the potato flour...Works VERY well!...Just sift it together with the flour or use a whisk until the lumps in the corn starch are gone! 🙂
Would corn flour work?
It probably will but I haven't tried it.
Okay...I'm going to give it a try. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Thanks
Kim
I made these last night and was delighted with the recipe and the results. I found potato flour at my local gracery store in Ottawa in the baking aisle - I believe Club house was the brand. They also carried rice flour by the same company. We plan to make these again substituting mint for the lemon extract, and also plan to double the vanilla and add delete the lemon extract, then mix in the seeds of a vanilla bean when we cream together the butter and sugar. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Do I have to use lemon extract? Can I subsitute anything else?
Not necessary for the success of the recipe. you can add more vanilla if you like.
How much do you flatten them, because my dough was cracking as I flattened them???
try Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage or any natural grocery store. They have most of your alternative flours due to the rise in gluten sensitivities. Sounds like a nice recipe to try. I love shortbread, it really is versatile when decorating for gifts.