Chocolate Dipped Orange Shortbread Hearts Food

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED SHORTBREAD HEARTS

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined. On slow speed, beat in flour and salt until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/16-to-1/8 inch thick. Cut out hearts with a 2-inch heart cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet; chill for 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees with a rack in the center. Press the tines of a fork into each cookie to make designs. Bake until just beginning to brown around the edges, about 18 minutes. (Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days.)
• In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Stir in the oil. Dip half or one third of each cookie into the chocolate mixture. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to dry, or place them on a piece of parchment paper in the freezer for 10 minutes. Serve.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.
• Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.

SHORTBREAD HEARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Place the hearts on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
• Allow to cool to room temperature.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED ORANGE SHORTBREAD HEARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, zest, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat butter, juice, and confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy and beat in flour mixture until a dough is just formed. Pat dough into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, 30 minutes, or until firm.
• On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll dough into a 13- by 12-inch rectangle (about 1/3 inch thick). Cut out cookies with a
• 3 1/2- to 4-inch heart-shaped cutter dipped in flour and arrange 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Using dough scraps, roll and cut out more cookies in same manner. Bake shortbread in batches in middle of oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until pale golden, and cool completely on baking sheets on racks. Carefully transfer cookies to a platter.
• In a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over pan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Pour warm chocolate onto a plate and dip in half of top side of each cookie, transferring cookies, chocolate sides up, to a wax-paper-lined tray. Chill cookies until chocolate is hardened. Cookies keep, chilled, in a airtight container 4 days.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED ORANGE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add butter and beat until mixture resembles crumbs and starts to stick together. Work until dough sticks together and forms a smooth ball that is not sticky, adding milk if mixture is too dry. Press into a disk shape and wrap in wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Lightly flour a clean countertop. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and place on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven until bottoms are lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Line the countertop with wax paper. Dip tops of cookies into the melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. Place cookies on the wax paper and immediately sprinkle tops with remaining 1 tablespoon orange zest. Let dry.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar, add flour and vanilla.
• Pinch of 1/2" balls of dough, roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet.
• Use the tines of a fork to flatten cookies.
• Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes.
• Remove from baking sheet, cool 10-15 minutes.
• Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate.
• Chill to set chocolate.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED HEART COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine butter, sugar, cream cheese, egg and vanilla in large bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, beat until well mixed. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375°. Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut dough with lightly floured 2 inch heart shaped cookie cutter. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. Remove immediately to wire racks to cool completely.
• Melt chocolate chips and shortening in small saucepan over low heat, or double boiler until melted. Dip half of each heart into melted chocolate. Refrigerate on cookie sheets or trays lined with waxed paper until chocolate is firm. Store, covered in refrigerator with wax paper in between.
• Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD HEARTS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in yolk, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Once chilled, remove plastic wrap and sandwich dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out into a 1/2-inch-thick slab. Leaving dough between the parchment, place it on a baking sheet or large plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours).
• Heat oven to 325 degrees, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Pull dough from refrigerator, and remove parchment from dough. Using a 2-inch heart-shaped cutter, cut out as many hearts as possible. Transfer them to the prepared cookie sheets. Reroll the dough scraps and repeat.
• Bake cookies for 18 to 23 minutes, until puffed and set, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through. Transfer pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• In a heatproof measuring cup, melt chocolate in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between.
• Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted chocolate, letting the excess drip back into measuring cup. Place back on parchment-lined baking sheets, and sprinkle chocolate with crushed raspberries, if using. Let cool until chocolate is set, then store in an airtight container.