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.
Do you use potato flour or potato starch? I just made a batch with potato flour and wasn't happy with them!
It's labelled potato flour on the bag I use. Different locations might label it differently. It does have a consistency of corn starch though. Very fine.
can you explain what you mean by icing sugar for the melting moments? you are not real clear on this.
Icing sugar is powdered sugar or confectioners sugar. Different names, same thing.
hi
is it potato flour or potato starch?
just double checking....
thanks
linda
What I use lis balled potato flour although I've been told they are the same thing.
I'm from the USA and tried the recipe using what we call potato flour. The cookies were terrible, dry, grainy, not melt in your mouth. I bet it is called potato starch, which is very different and more like cornstarch, which is usually what I use in shortbread type cookies. So if people are having a hard time finding potato flour, try potato starch instead.
It is sold here as potato flour but it is quite fine like cornstarch, so you are no doubt right there.
I was unable to find potato flour in my local grocery store. I found fine ground almond flour in the gluten free section and purchased it. In the past I have always used corn starch and the cookies turned out delicious. Just wondering if the almond flour would also work as a substitute for the potato flour. I did not realize at the time I purchased the almond flour that it was VERY expensive so I do not want to use it unless it would work in this recipe. If not I want to return it.
No almond flour is far too heavy. Try the bulk store for potato starch or potato flour.
Just made these and substituted cornstarch for the potato flour and they are delish! I dipped half in dark chocolate and dusted the other half in confectioners sugar!
I too have a Melting moments recipe that has been in my family for at least 80 years. It doesn’t use potato flour and they are excellent. I will try the potato flour though and see what happens. I have just passed my recipe on to my granddaughter and she loves its simplicity. She is 9 years old.
I was not able to find potato flour at my local grocery store. But I noticed that there was potato starch on the shelf.
As I understand it, there is a difference between the two products. I’m wondering though, if the potato starch can be used instead of the potato flour in this recipe?
I've only used the flour but the starch certainly wouldn't ruin the recipe.
For step 3, where it says blend the flour in with the creamed mixture, can you use an electric mixer for that, or just mix it in with a wooden spoon?
Spoon is best.
My melting moments were an absolute flop I cannot understand 2/3 icing sugar does this mean 2 or 3 cups icing sugar and a cup of butter can this please be quoted in metric as my mixture was so dry I had to add more butter to my standard cup end result melting moment snaps looking like brandy snaps
2/3 is a fraction of a cup! Not 2 or 3 cups.
So I just made these and they taste lovely but they flattened completely out to I would say about 3 inches wide. Any thoughts on what I did wrong? I didn’t have lemon extract so I just used extra vanilla instead. And at Bulk Barn I bought potato starch as I couldn’t find potato flour. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Did you use real butter? Never ever had that happen with this recipe. Potato starch is fine to use in this recipe.
I used the Parkay blocks but I’ve used them many times with a traditional shortbread recipe and they don’t flatten out. I’m thinking I might have over mixed the butter, I’ll have to try them again. Thanks!
Just made these this morning. i did use cornstarch as nothing else readily available and they came out perfect. The dough was a bit sticky so I just chilled it for a bit and it was easier to roll into balls. Used half cherries as suggested for the festive look as garnish on top. Thanks Barry for another amazing recipe. Gail
Wonderful recipe that makes a memorable cookie A new found tradition for Christmas baking in my kitchen. ( I made them much smaller than suggested.)
Hi Barry ,
Just wondering where you buy potato flour in St. John's , and what brand is it you get ? Thanks
Hi, huge fan of your recipes and have liked every one I’ve tried fo far. However today I made these using a cup of Bob’s Red Mill Potato Flour. I think I should have used potato starch though as the cookies came out very savoury. Like little potato dumplings. Had a laugh as I’m sure yours are lovely. Definitely not what I was going for lol. I might try again with cornstarch.