Espresso Bean Shortbread Food

ESPRESSO-BEAN SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• In a small bowl, stir espresso powder into 2 teaspoons hot water until coffee has dissolved. Add coffee mixture and ground espresso beans to butter mixture; beat to combine.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on medium low speed until well combined, about 4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Shape heaping tablespoons of dough into ovals. Arrange ovals about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using a wooden skewer dipped in flour, make an indentation in dough lengthwise to achieve the look of a coffee bean. Freeze or refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are just beginning to brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store up to 1 week in airtight containers at room temperature.

ESPRESSO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa until well combined. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and ground coffee beans until lightened and well combined. Mix in the flour and cocoa until a soft dough forms. With your hands, roll the dough into 3/4-inch (2-cm) round balls. Flatten and shape each dough ball into a 1/2-inch (1-cm) thick oblong and place on the baking sheet, leaving a 2-inch (5-cm) space between each cookie. Using the dull side of a dinner knife, score a deep line lengthwise down the centre of each cookie. Chill the cookies in the fridge for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly firm to the touch and just cooked through. Recipe Options: Make chocolate-dipped espresso shortbread by dipping each baked cookie halfway into a bowl of melted white or dark chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip away, and then place the cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Store in the fridge until the chocolate is set before serving.

ESPRESSO SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Butter an 8 1/2-inch cake or springform pan; set aside. Sift together flour and salt into a small bowl; set aside. Place butter in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Cream until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, about 2 minutes more. Add vanilla, if using. Dissolve 2 tablespoons espresso powder in 1 teaspoon hot water. Add mixture to creamed butter-and-sugar mixture with vanilla, before adding flour. Add flour mixture, and combine on low speed, scraping with spatula if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
• Pat dough into prepared pan. If rolling out dough to cut into shapes, form into a flat disk; wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Roll dough out 1/4 inch thick. Cut into ovals with 2-inch cutter. Score a line down the middle with the back of a knife; chill.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake until firm, about 20 minutes.

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, beat the butter with the flat paddle attachment on the medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar gradually and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated. Scrape the soft dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and gather together into a ball. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll out. You may chill it overnight; just let it soften a bit at room temperature before proceeding. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with a cookie cutter of your choice. These baking instructions are for 3-inch cookies. If you make small cookies, reduce the baking time, larger cookies will require a longer baking time. Reroll any extra dough and cut out as many cookies as possible. Transfer the cookies to the prepared pans, keeping them at least 1-inch apart. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans front to back halfway through the baking time. These cookies are so dark that it is impossible to see if they are beginning to color. Use the time suggested and check to see if the edges and bottoms are completely dry. You should be able to lift a cookie up with a spatula to peek at the bottom; the cookie should be baked enough to remain stiff and not break. Set the pans directly on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cookies to the rack and cool completely. The sheet pans must be cooled completely between uses, but you will probably be able to reuse the parchment. The cookies are best eaten within 1 week; store them at room temperature in an airtight container.

ESPRESSO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix for 30 seconds. Next add the flour and espresso powder and mix until the dough is smooth, about 1 minute.
• Spray the shortbread pan with cooking spray and scatter the ground espresso across the bottom of the pan. Gently press the dough evenly into the espresso covered pan. Place the pan into the top half of the oven and bake until the shortbread is set, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes.
• Using a sharp paring knife score the top of the still warm but cooling short bread. Cut in any size you prefer, we like 2 inch squares. Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto a cutting board. Give 1 sharp rap and the shortbread will release from the pan. Let cool an additional 10 minutes and slice along the scored lines.

COFFEE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars, coffee granules and salt until light and fluffy; gradually beat flour into creamed mixture., On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-in. cookie cutters. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake 20-22 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon shortening; stir until smooth. Repeat with baking chips and remaining shortening. Drizzle over cookies; refrigerate until set. Store between pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container.

ESPRESSO SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300. Line 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.
• For the BARS: In a large bowl beat butter and sugar at med speed until fluffy and very pale. Beat in vanilla and salt. In a small bowl, combine flour and espresso powder. Add dry ingredients to large bowl in 3rds, scraping and beating until just combined.
• Firmly press dough into the baking pan in an even layer using plastic wrap on top with a flat utensil to spread to entire pan. Toss plastic.
• Bake about 40 minutes or until very lightly browned and firm but not solid to the touch. Do not over cook. Cool pan on rack about 10 minutes.
• Cut bars into 5 strips by 8 strips. (40 bars) Cool completely.
• For the GLAZE: In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, espresso, corn syrup and salt. Boil over moderate heat, swirling the pan, until slightly thickened (1-2 minutes). Remove from heat. When bubbling subsides, pour quickly over shortbread, spreading in an even layer with a spatula. Using a lightly oiled knife, score the glaze without dragging, along cuts. Press an espresso bean in the center of each bar. Cool slightly then separate bars and transfer to a plate.

ESPRESSO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Cut the butter into cubes.
• Place all of the shortbread ingredients in the bowl of your food processor. (You can also use a mixer, or just work the butter in with your fingers.).
• Blend until the mixture looks sandy and dry. Turn the mixture out onto a flat surface and keep pressing until the dough comes together.
• Lightly flour your surface and roll the shortbread into a 1/2 inch thick square. It will be roughly 5.5 x 5.5 inches.
• Cut in half horizontally, and then cut each half into eight fingers (16 cookies total).
• You can also use cookie cutters to cut into shapes.
• Transfer to a baking sheet spacing an inch apart. There is no need to grease the pan.
• Refrigerate the shortbread for about 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350ºF.
• Bake for 25 minutes until the edges are golden. If some of the cookies have spread a bit and you want them all to look identical, you can trim them as soon as you take them out of the oven.
• Let the shortbread cool.
• Place the powdered sugar, instant espresso powder and milk in a small bowl and mix until smooth.
• If the glaze is too thick add an bit of extra milk or water a half teaspoon at a time, until you get the desired consistency.
• Dip half the shortbread into the glaze. You can also drizzle the glaze over the baked shortbread.
• Allow the glaze to harden.
• Store in an airtight container in a single layer.

ESPRESSO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• First, cream the butter and sugar together until it's light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and mix for about 30 seconds. Then add the flour and espresso powder and mix until dough is smooth, about 1 minute.
• Spray a 9"x9" pan with cooking spray and scatter the ground espresso across the bottom of the pan. Gently press dough evenly into the espresso covered pan. Place pan into the top part of the oven and bake until shortbread is set, about 17 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 15 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, score the top of the still warm short bread. Cut in 2" squares(or how you like). Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto a cutting board. Give a sharp rap and the shortbread will release from the pan. Let it cool aobut 10 more minutes and slice along the scored lines. Enjoy!