Cashew Shortbread Food

CASHEW SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• In a large bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar; beat at high speed for appx 3 minutes with electric mixer.
• Stir in cashews.
• Sift flour, salt, & baking powder directly into the bowl.
• Use your hands to mix the dough as quickly and efficiently as possible; form into a rough ball.
• Lightly flour a clean, dry work surface; add dough and roll out to appx 1/4" thick.
• Cut into simple shapes and place them on ungreased cookie sheet. (I cut them into diamonds, similar to bakalava -- didn't want to over-work the dough by re-rolling).
• Bake in center of oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom.
• Cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.

CASHEW-LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place cashews in food processor; process until finely ground. Add butter, sugar, lemon extract and vanilla; process until well blended. Add flour; process using on/of pulses until dough is well blended and forms ball.
• Shape dough in 1 1/2-inch balls; roll in additional sugar. Place about 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheet; flatten slightly with bottom of glass dipped in sugar.
• Bake 18 minutes or just until set and edges are slightly browned. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

POLVORON WITH CASHEWS (FILIPINO SHORTBREAD)

Steps:

• If you want to make it with cashews: If you haven't done so already, crush the cashews. I like to crush it to the point where about half of it is almost powder and the rest is in small pieces. Over medium heat, melt a sliver of butter and toast the crushed cashews stirring occasionally until golden brown.
• Using a large skillet, toast the flour over medium to low heat. You want to make sure that you are stirring it continuously to avoid burning. Be patient! This can take up to 20-30 minutes. Just continue until the flour is tan/beige in color. Once toasted, remove from heat and allow it to cool completely.
• Sift cooled toasted flour with the pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl.
• In another large mixing bowl, sift together the powdered milk and the sugar.
• Add the flour mixture into the powdered milk/sugar mixture and stir well.
• Once combined, sift all the ingredients together back into the other large bowl (the one that previously held the flour).
• Pour in the melted butter into the mixture and stir well. The texture will be like lightly damp sand.
• If you have a molder, simply fill the mold with the mixture and press firmly with the back of a spoon. Release the shaped polvoron and set aside and repeat.
• If you don't have a molder (like me), use a mini cupcake pan:.
• Fill the mini cupcake pan with the mixture and press with the back of a spoon. If you want a completely flat surface on top, you can use the cap of a bottle. Once all cupcake holes are filled, place a tray (or a cutting board) big enough to cover the whole tray and carefully flip it over. The result will be perfectly shaped biscuits. If it doesn't come out, you can try using a meat pounder and lightly hit the tray when it's flipped over.
• Once you have molded all of the Polvorons, stack and store into an airtight container. Freeze for a couple of hours and remove.
• If you want to, wrap each Polvoron individually with the cellophane paper.

CASHEW LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• 2. Place cashews in a food processor and process until finely ground.
• 3. Add butter, sugar, lemon extract, and vanilla. Process until well blended.
• 4. Add flour,1 cup at a time, pulsing until dough is well blended and begins to form a ball.
• 5. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 weeks.
• 6. Shape dough into 1 1/2 in balls and roll in additional sugar.
• 7. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined or ungreased cookie sheets
• 8. Wet the bottom of a glass and dip into sugar then flatten dough balls with the glass.
• 9. Bake at 325 degrees for 17 to 19 minutes till slightly brown on the edges.
• 10. just an fyi... you can make this recipe with a regular mixer as long as the cashews are pulverized.