Honolulu Shortbread Cookie Food

HAWAIIAN COCONUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream the butter until smooth. Add granulated sugar and vanilla, creaming again until smooth and slightly fluffy.
• Sift flour and then measure the 2 cups of flour. Add salt to flour and sift again.
• Gradually add to the creamed butter mixture until you have added all the flour and mixture is smooth. Mix the coconut into the cookie dough.
• Shape into a one and half (1.5) inch diameter roll and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until it the dough is firm, about 2-4 hours, or for several days until ready to use. May be frozen for later baking.
• Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4 inch slices from the cookie dough roll and place on a very lightly greased cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart.
• Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes, until a light golden brown at edges, but not browned entirely across the top.
• Cool cookies on sheet just until they are set, easy to remove and have cooled slightly, usually about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove cookies with a spatula and place on the 1 cup of powdered sugar that you have sifted onto a piece of wax paper or similar surface. Cover cookies with powdered sugar on all sides by sifting more sugar over them or "rolling" them in the sugar. After they have cooled and the powdered sugar has "set", you can coat them with more powdered sugar if you would like. Cool completely and then store in an airtight container, for however long you can keep them from being eaten!
• Try these the first time following the recipe as given. The next time, you can play around with adding other ingredients to tweak these to your exact tastes. Some ideas, toasting some of the coconut before adding to the dough, adding finely chopped macadamia nuts, ginger, cardamom or any citrus zest. Key lime zest and macadamias is a great combo, truly a cookie that takes you to tropical islands without the frequent flier miles :).

HAWAIIAN SHORTBREAD COOKIE RECIPE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a mixer using a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream butter on high speed until smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla to the creamed butter mixture and beat until smooth. Reduce to low speed, and gradually add the flour and salt, then mix in the 1/2 cup of chopped macadamia nuts.
• Shape the cookie batter into a 3 inch diameter roll, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. We like square cookies, so we used a bench scraper to make a roughly 3 x 3 inch square log with nice square corners. Let the cookie dough roll chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Alternatively, roll the shortbread dough out to a quarter inch. If you want to make square cookies, shape into a square, and then chill at least two hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 300 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• If you are using the log technique, remove the chilled cookie dough log from the refrigerator and use a sharp knife to cut off 1/4 inch slices.
• Otherwise, remove the rolled dough and either use a sharp knife and a ruler to cut into squares, or use a pineapple cookie cutter for Honolulu Cookie Company look alikes.
• Place the cookie dough slices on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat, filling second sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Cool the cookies completely on wire rack.
• While the cookies cool, temper the chocolate. Finely chop the chocolate. Place two-thirds of the chocolate in a medium bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the metal bowl isn't touching the water, or the chocolate can get too hot and burn. Place a candy thermometer in the chocolate and stir frequently with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is melted (do not let it get hotter than 120 F for dark chocolate or 105 F for milk or white chocolate).
• Remove from heat, add the remaining third of the chocolate a little at a time, letting each bit melt before adding more. Let the chocolate cool to 82 F. If its warmer, keep stirring to cool. If it's already cooler than 82 F, move on to the next step.
• Once the chocolate is at 82 F, place it back over the simmering water. Reheat to 88 to 91 F for dark chocolate or 85 to 87 F for white or milk chocolate. Remove the bowl from the heat once you have reached the right temperature. Spread a small spoonful of the chocolate on a piece of wax paper. If it looks dull or waxy, restart the process. If it dries quickly with a glossy finish, it's ready!
• In that case, quickly dip each cookie in the melted chocolate, then sprinkle with finely chopped macadamia nuts, and then place it on a sheet of parchment paper to set. Do not let the chocolate get below 84 F, or you will need to retemper.