Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Sandwiches Food

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Coat a 9 1/2-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides, and coat parchment with spray.
• Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Press dough evenly into pan. Cover, and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake shortbread until golden brown and firm in center, 45 to 50 minutes. Let shortbread cool in pan on a wire rack.
• Place a basket-weave mat, trimmed to fit pan, on a rimmed baking sheet, and spread melted chocolate evenly on mat. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.
• Use parchment to unmold shortbread from pan, and trim edges to create a square. Spread peanut butter evenly on shortbread. Carefully center chocolate, mat side up, on top of peanut butter, and gently peel off mat. Cut shortbread into 1 1/2-inch squares. Shortbread will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.

SHORTBREAD SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Place ungreased baking sheets in the refrigerator. In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well., Using a cookie press fitted with a ribbon disk, press dough into 2-1/2-in.-long ribbons on chilled baking sheets. Bake at 375° until edges are lightly browned, 6-8 minutes. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For filling, in a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Dissolve coffee in hot water; add to creamed mixture and mix until smooth. Spread 1 teaspoon filling on the bottom of one cookie; top with another cookie to form a sandwich. Repeat., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip one end of each cookie into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off and then in nonpareils. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets until set.

PEANUT BUTTER SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment; set aside.
• In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat together the brown sugar, butter, ¼ cup peanut butter, egg, and vanilla until well combined. Add in the flour and mix until just combined.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and press it into the pan. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the shortbread just starts to brown. Place on cooling rack and let cool completely before adding icing.
• To make the icing, combine the chocolate chips and ½ cup of peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at half power (50%) stopping to stir every 30 seconds, just until the mixture is melted. Spread the icing on the cooled bars and top with crushed peanuts if using. Let the icing harden completely before removing the bars from the pan and cutting into squares.

PEANUT SHORTBREAD WITH HONEYCOMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch metal pan, and line with parchment paper, leaving plenty of overhang on the long sides.
• Make the cookie layer: Combine 1 cup butter, the light brown sugar and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Add vanilla and salt; beat to combine.
• Add 2 1/2 cups flour and all peanuts, and beat until crumbly. Transfer the dough to the pan. Using floured hands, pat out the dough evenly but lightly, without compacting. Prick surface all over with a floured fork, and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Bake until firm at the center and golden brown all over, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven, set pan on a wire rack, and cool completely.
• Prepare the honeycomb layer: Have a large metal bowl, a whisk, the measured baking soda and the baked peanut cookie layer ready by the stove. In a wide, shallow saucepan, combine granulated sugar, honey and 1/4 cup water, and whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil, gently swirling the pan without stirring, and using a wet pastry brush to wash down any sugar crystals clinging to the sides of the pan. Clip on a candy thermometer, and cook the mixture until the thermometer reads 300 degrees, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Quickly and carefully pour and scrape the honey mixture into the metal bowl, then immediately whisk in the baking soda. (The mixture will puff up quite a bit.) Briefly whisk to dissolve the baking soda, but don't overbeat. Immediately pour the hot mixture on top of the peanut cookie layer. Aim to cover the shortbread while pouring, then tip the pan around a little to distribute the honeycomb as much as possible. (Resist the urge to spread it out with a spatula, which will knock the air out of the honeycomb, making it hard instead of airy.) Cool completely. Run a small sharp knife around the edges of the pan to loosen. Using the overhanging parchment, lift and transfer to a work surface.
• Use the point of a small, sharp knife to break the cookie into 2- to 3-inch shards and arrange them on a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet.
• In a metal bowl set over a small saucepan filled with an inch of simmering water, combine the dark chocolate and the shortening, and stir until smooth and melted. Remove from heat. (You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave instead: Transfer the chocolate and shortening to a microwave-safe glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk to combine, then heat in 20-second increments, whisking between each, until melted.)
• Using a small spoon, drizzle the chocolate over the cookie shards. Sprinkle with sea salt. Pop into the freezer to harden the chocolate, about 5 to 10 minutes. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.