Chocolate Dipped Pecan Shortbread Logs Food

FESTIVE SHORTBREAD LOGS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. , With lightly floured hands, shape tablespoonfuls into 2-in. logs. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges and bottom are lightly browned. Cool for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire racks., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle chocolate over half of the cookies. Dip one end of remaining cookies into chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle with walnuts. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.

EASY DOUBLE-DIPPED CHOCOLATE AND NUT SHORTBREAD LOGS

Steps:

• Set oven to 325°.
• Lightly grease cookie/baking sheets.
• In a bowl cream butter, vanilla and icing sugar for about 5 minutes until very fluffy (beat no less than 5 minutes!).
• Mix in flour and pinch of salt (if you are using salted butter, omit salt) mix till combined.
• Stir in 1 cup mini chocolate chips.
• Gather up about 1-1/2 tablespoons dough and shape into about 2 x 1/2-inch logs (or you can make them into larger size if desired).
• Place on cookie sheets about 1-1/2-inches apart.
• Bake for about 10-14 minutes or until the logs are firm.
• Let cookies cool COMPLETELY in the pan before removing them to a rack (they will break if moved when warm!).
• In a microwave or a double boiler melt the remaining 2 cups mini chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons Crisco shortening until smooth.
• Dip one end in the chocolate then into the chopped nuts.
• Holding the cookie in the middle, repeat with the other end of the cookie.
• Place on waxed paper to set.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED BROWN SUGAR SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven.
• Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed just until the butter and sugar are combined so you don't whip a lot of air into it. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix just until the dough comes together.
• Scoop out 1-ounce pieces of dough (about a tablespoon), roll each one into a ball, then roll it into a 2 1/2-inch-long log. Place the logs 2 inches apart on two sheet pans lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the cookies start to brown around the edges and spring back when lightly touched. Set aside to cool on the pans.
• For the coating, place the chocolate and the butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture vigorously and continue to microwave in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted.
• Drag half of the rounded top of each cookie through the chocolate and place it, chocolate side up, on a piece of parchment paper. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle on the pecans. Repeat with all the cookies. Set aside for at least 30 minutes for the chocolate to firm.

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.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED PECAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. I suggest using a Kitchenaid (or other brand) stand mixer with a paddle attachment as this is a VERY stiff dough -- I don't suggest mixing it by hand ...either your hand will wear out or the wooden spoon will break.
• 2. Cream together sugar and butter--just until combined.
• 3. Add extracts and stir into butter/sugar mixture.
• 4. In separate bowl, whisk flour and salt together.
• 5. Add flour/salt mix to butter/sugar mix, a little at a time.
• 6. Add chopped pecans to dough and THOROUGHLY incorporate them. (I chopped them by hand).
• 7. Place reserved 1/2 cup of pecans in separate bowl.
• 8. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. By hand, roll each piece into a log (about 2-3 inches in diameter). Wrap each log, snugly, with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• 9. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
• 10. Remove plastic wrap from dough log and slice into 3/8-inch - 1/2-inch thick slices.
• 11. Place sliced dough onto UNGREASED parchment-paper lined cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart.
• 12. Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are golden brown and center is cooked but NOT browned (see photo above).
• 13. After baking, gently transfer to cooling rack (they're VERY fragile at this stage), and cool completely. Once cooled, they are quite sturdy.
• 14. In microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate morsels (in 30-second increments, stirring after each increment)
• 15. Spread reserved, chopped pecans (or, if desired, sliced almonds) onto cookie sheet and return to oven for 5-10 min. until toasted. Watch them carefully so they don't burn. Then, place them in a bowl.
• 16. Coat cooled cookies 1/2-way with melted chocolate (front, back, and sides)--scraping off excess.
• 17. Roll chocolate-dipped cookies in toasted pecan pieces. Alternately, you can use sliced almonds, or crushed toffee pieces (Heath or Skor bars)...or, leave them plain or just dipped in chocolate if you like. When coated, return cookies to cooling rack to set.
• 18. Chill chocolate-dipped cookies for 20-30 min. in fridge to set chocolate before serving.
• 19. Store in airtight container (if you have any left).

DIPPED CHOCOLATE LOGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix cocoa and hot water until smooth; cool slightly., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla and cocoa mixture. In another bowl, whisk flour and baking soda; gradually beat into creamed mixture (dough will be stiff)., Cut a large hole in the tip of a pastry bag; insert #829 or other open star pastry tip. Working in batches, pipe dough to form 2-1/2-in.-long logs, 2 in. apart, onto ungreased baking sheets., Bake until firm, 18-22 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For glaze, in a small bowl, mix cocoa and hot water until smooth; stir in butter, milk and vanilla. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, mixing until smooth., Dip each cookie halfway into warm glaze, holding cookie at a slight angle; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper. Immediately sprinkle with pecans and nonpareils. Let stand until set.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Mix the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour and cocoa, followed by the chocolate chips - you'll probably need to mix it together with your hands at this stage. Halve the dough and roll each piece into a log about 5cm thick. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hr or for several days. Can be frozen for up to 1 month.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Slice logs into 1cm-thick rounds, transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 10-12 mins. Cool on the tray.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED PECAN LOGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325*F.
• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or leave the sheets ungreased.
• Using electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter, sugar and vanilla in medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape down bowl with rubber spatula.
• Add flour and salt and blend on medium speed about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl and add the nuts with several more turns of the mixer.
• Measure out slightly rounded tbls. of dough and shape them into little logs 2 1/2" long. Place the logs 1 1/2" apart on prpared cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with your palm so they are about 1 1/2" wide.
• Bake cookies until lightly golden, about 30-35 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets.
• When cookies are cool, melt the chocolate in top of double boiler placed over simmering water.
• Pour the melted chocolate into a small deep bowl and dip half of each cookie into the chocolate, using the rim of the bowl to scrape any excess chocolate off the bottom of the cookie.
• As they are dipped, place the cookies on a large sheet of waxed paper and allow to set until the chocolate hardens, several hours. If it is a humid day, refrigerate them in order to speed the procees. Enjoy!