March 18, 2012

Chocolate Cranberry Press-In Shortbread


So I like everything to be very easy. Martha Stewart does not. In this recipe she cuts all of these shapes out of this shortbread and essentially wastes all of the scraps- waster!! This is essentially a one-bowl recipe- which I love- and there's not chilling involved- so get it in the oven for instant gratification. I added chocolate chips and cut the whole pan into bite-sized squares. So make hearts if you want or make life simpler and go with the squares.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries or cherries

Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees.with a rack in center. Combine butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until combined but not too creamy. Stir in dried cranberries.
Pat dough evenly into an 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan. Bake until just beginning to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Place pan on cooling rack until cool enough to touch, about 20 minutes. Run knife around edges, remove shortbread, and transfer, right side up, to work surface. Use 1 1/2- to 2-inch heart cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Use a paring knife to trim stray bits of cranberry from edges. Cookies will keep for 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart

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