Shortbread for dessert tonight

I'm making dinner for some friends tonight and settled on shortbread for dessert.  I really like this Martha Stewart recipe because there's no mixer involved and you can add anything you want to flavor the dough.  I used chocolate chips and heath toffee bits that I got on sale at Acme.

Chocolate-Toffee Press In Shortbread
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

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 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup or more toffee bits

Method:

Preheat oven to 325.  Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Then add butter and vanilla and cut in with pastry cuter.  Add chocolate and heath chips and stir to combine.  Press into an un-greased 9x9 baking pan firmly.  Bake for 25 mins or so until golden brown on the edges.  Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for half an hour then run a knife around the edges and flip it onto a cooling rack.  After the massive square cookie has cooled chop it into square pieces and devour it.  

Twice Baked Parmesan Shortbread

I haven't made shortbread for a while. This recipe looked really good so I combined it with a parmesan shortbread recipe by adding 1/2 cup parmesan and extra salt and black pepper. They came out prety good but next time I want try it with chocolate shortbread. Mmmmmmm ....

Ingredients:

11 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and still warm
5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup parmesan

Method:

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar vanilla and salt. Add the flour and cheese and mix until just incorporated. Pat the dough evenly into a foil-lined 8 inch square pan. Let it rest for at least 2 hours or overnight (no need to refrigerate).

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300F. Bake the shortbread for 45 minutes.

Remove pan from oven, leaving the oven on. Let the shortbread cool for 10 minutes.

Remove shortbread from pan and cut it into oblong "fingers" or squares. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese. Place the pieces slightly apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for another 15 minutes. Cool on a rack before storing.

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

Olive Oil Shortbread Cookies

For some reason I got really into olive oil cookies for about week. Whole Food's 365 EVOO is the cheapest around- and when I was working there I got a discount on top of it. This recipe is insane it's so simple and easy. And while you don't get that buttery shortbread taste, they are really good all the same, and it makes a ton of little cookies, enough to share- or not. I just realized they are also vegan, nice.

I actually added vanilla and cardamom to mine because I thought they were sooo simple. THey would probably be good with any spice- like cinnamon, and a ground nut- like an almond or something. I found the recipe at Wendy Paul Creations.

1 cup extra virgin light olive oil
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups flour

Mix together all ingredients until dough forms a ball. On a piece of parchment paper, place dough and shape into a log, sealing all edges (like a piece of candy). Refrigerate 1 hour until firm. Unwrap dough and cut into 1/3" slices, baking at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cookies stand on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet and place on a wire rack until cooled completely. Happy Baking!