Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookie Food

CHERRY ALMOND SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream the butter and then add powdered sugar and cream together with a hand mixer. Add maraschino cherry juice, almond extract, and vanilla and continue to mix until smooth.
• Add flour and the chopped maraschino cherries to the bowl and work the two ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture using a spatula or your hands. Take care not to over-mix. You're going for well-combined, but not beaten.
• Scoop the mixture into the middle of a piece of plastic wrap, mold into a log shape about 1½ inches in diameter, then roll up in the plastic wrap and tie off the ends. Place in the freezer for 1 hour.
• After the dough has hardened in the freezer, preheat your oven to 350ºF. Cut the dough out of the plastic wrap and cut in ⅛ inch thick slices. Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment and bake for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to turn golden brown.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix butter, sugar and almond extract throughly using an electric mixer. Gradually blend in flour and corn starch. Add cherries and chocolate.
• Form into 1"-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Pour sugar on a small plate; dip bottom of drinking glass in sugar and gently press down on each cookie to flatten.
• Bake in a preheated 300 oven for 20-30 minutes, or until bottoms begin to brown.
• Cool 5 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Drizzle by placing 2-ounces chocolate and shortening in a small resealable plastic freezer bag. Microwave on HIGH for about 30 seconds, until chocolate is melted. Snip off the corner and drizzle over cookies.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Pulse almonds with flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until very finely chopped. Add butter and pulse just until a dough forms.
• Press dough evenly into an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan with your fingers. Cut dough into 16 squares with a sharp knife, then cut squares diagonally to make a total of 32 triangles.
• Bake until cookies are dry to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and run a thin knife around edge of pan to loosen cookies while hot. Recut hot cookies into triangles, then cool completely in pan. Dust with confectioners sugar just before serving.

MARASCHINO CHERRY ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• Place the butter in a mixing bowl, and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in 2/3 cup of confectioners' sugar, then add almond extract, eggs, and salt, and beat until the mixture is fluffy and well combined, about 3 more minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium, and gradually beat in flour until the dough is smooth, about 1 minute. Gently stir in the maraschino cherries.
• Form the dough into 2 logs about 1 inch in diameter, roll each log in plastic wrap or waxed paper, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut each dough log into about 25 slices about 1/2-inch thick, and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch of space between each cookie.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are set but not browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove to cooling racks to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
• To make icing, beat egg whites with lemon juice until frothy, about 1 minute, then beat in vanilla extract and confectioners' sugar, a cupful at a time, until the icing is smooth and spreadable. Spread about 1 teaspoon of icing on each cooled cookie, and let the icing harden before stacking.

CHERRY ALMOND SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar well in a large bowl.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Work into butter mixture.
• Shape into 4 rolls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Put each roll into waxed paper and chill.
• Cut into 1/4 inch slices and bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 200C degrees for 6-7 minutes until edges show some browning.