Homestead Cheddar Pecan Shortbread Food

PECAN SHORTBREAD

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 sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter/sugar mixture. Add the pecans and 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 into 2 1/2-inch squares with a plain or fluted cutter (or cut into any shape you like). Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.

BUTTER PECAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer or a food processor, beat together butter and brown sugar until creamy.
• Add flour, ground pecans, vanilla and salt and beat just until it forms a smooth dough.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow it to firm up just enough to shape.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).
• By hand, roll dough into 1-inch balls.
• Place them on the prepared cookie sheet and flatten very slightly (to about 1/2-inch thickness) with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the glass (If you have a cookie stamp, you can use it to flatten the cookies instead of the glass).
• Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes or until set and very lightly browned on the bottom.
• Remove from pan and let cool on a rack.

CHEDDAR CHEESE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk together salt, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper and set aside.
• Mix cheese and butter with a stand or hand mixture until smooth.
• Whisk the spice mix into the flour.
• Add flour/spice mixture 1/2 cup at a time.
• Knead the dough for a few minutes until all the little pieces that were at the bottom of the mixing bowl come together.
• Roll dough into small balls, place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment or a non-stick baking pad.
• Press each small ball with a small glass or a shot glass to flatten and make a consistent size.
• Chill to dough balls for 1-2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Bake for 16-19 minutes until they are golden brown.
• Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

CHEDDAR-PECAN SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Cool completely (about 20 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
• 2. Process cheese and butter in a food processor 10 to 15 seconds or until creamy stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add flour and the next 3 ingredients; pulse 9 to 10 times or until the mixture is crumbly. Add toasted pecans, pulse 4 to 5 times or until combined. Add half and half, and process 10 to 15 seconds or until the mixture forms moist clumps.
• 3. Transfer mixture onto plastic wrap on a flat surface; gather dough into a ball, and flatten into a 1 inch thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour until firm, or seal wrapped dough in a zip-top plastiac freezer bag and chill up to 3 days.
• 4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with 1 1/2 and 2 inch cookie cutters. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
• 5. Bake at 325° for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes.

CHEDDAR CHEESE SHORTBREAD CRACKERS

Steps:

• Process cheese, flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, salt, dry mustard, and pepper in a food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles wet sand, about 20 seconds. With processor running, add water through food chute; process until dough forms a ball, 10 to 15 seconds.
• Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a 6-inch log, about 1 ¾ inches in diameter. Wrap logs individually in plastic wrap; chill at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with oven racks in upper and lower thirds. Unwrap logs, and slice into ⅛-inch-thick rounds. Place dough rounds, ½ inch apart, on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven until edges are golden brown, about 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets top to bottom halfway through bake time. Cool crackers on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.

SAVORY SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Add flour and cayenne pepper to the bowl of a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
• Add cheese to the food processor; pulse until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
• Using a fork, stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Have ready several pieces of parchment paper.
• Form mixture into two 1-inch-diameter logs, and wrap in parchment. Transfer the logs to the refrigerator, and chill until very firm, at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove logs from refrigerator, and cut each one into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place the rounds on prepared baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.
• Bake the shortbread until golden, about 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets between shelves halfway through baking.
• Transfer shortbread to wire racks to cool. Bake remaining dough. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

CHEDDAR SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Combine butter, mustard, and pepper in food processor, and whirl to combine. Add cheese and whirl again to mix.
• Add flour and pulse just until blended.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with desired small cookie cutter and transfer to cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom.

SCOTTISH SHARP-CHEDDAR SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Using electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat together butter, salt, black pepper, and cayenne at low speed just until blended. Add Cheddar and flour and mix at low speed just until smooth (do not overmix). Shape dough into disk, wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper, and chill 30 minutes.
• Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4- to 1/8-inch-thick round. Using 1 1/2- to 2-inch round cutter, cut out rounds and arrange 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Reroll scraps if desired (rerolled scraps will be tougher).
• Bake shortbread until lightly golden and beginning to brown on edges, about 13 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

CHEDDAR SHORTBREAD BITES

Steps:

• Combine flour, butter, salt and red pepper in bowl; beat at medium speed until dough forms. Add cheese; mix until ball forms. Shape dough into disk; wrap in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. (It will be hard to roll at first, but will soften. Press together any cracks that form on edges of dough.) Cut dough with 1 1/2-inch cookie cutters or pizza cutter into desired shapes. Place onto ungreased baking sheets.
• Beat egg white and water together in bowl. Brush cut-outs with egg wash; sprinkle with seeds.
• Bake 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Immediately loosen from pan; let cool on pan.

CHEDDAR BISCUITS WITH PECANS

Steps:

• Place cheese, butter, flour, salt, and cayenne pepper in the bowl of a food processor; process until a dough is formed, about 10 seconds. Turn dough out onto work surface and divide into two equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a 1 1/2-inch-thick log; wrap with wax or parchment paper and refrigerate until dough is firm, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
• Unwrap dough and slice each log crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place dough rounds on prepared baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart; gently press a pecan half into the center of each. Brush with egg whites and sprinkle lightly with paprika.
• Bake biscuits until crisp, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PECAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cream butter, oil, white sugar, and confectioners' sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in vanilla extract.
• Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir gradually into the butter mixture. Stir in pecans.
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place onto ungreased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely on wire racks, 20 to 30 minutes.

PECAN SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer. Slowly add flour, then salt. Fold in pecan pieces. Roll dough into ball shape, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• On floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes (squares and triangles are my favorite, but a round cookie cutter can be used). Transfer cut out dough to ungreased cookie sheet. Prick with fork and chill again for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

HOMESTEAD CHEDDAR PECAN SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Place flour, pepper, salt, and cayenne in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and cheese and process until smooth. Cover the work bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside to rest for about 15 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. Work the dough in your hands (it should be soft and pliable like Play-Doh), and shape it into 2 equal cylinders, 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Place the crushed pecan pieces on a rimmed cookie sheet, and roll each cylinder in the nuts. Wrap each cylinder tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Position oven racks in the top and bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter two baking sheets, or line them with silicone baking liners or parchment paper. While the oven heats, working with one cylinder at a time, cut each cylinder into ¼-inch-thick slices, and place slices 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Place a pecan half in the center of each slice. Bake the shortbread, rotating the baking sheets once, until they are lightly browned at the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove cookies from the baking sheet, and set on a rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight tin or plasticware between sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper.