Maple Butter Pecan Shortbread Food

MAPLE PECAN SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter, 1/2 cup of the maple sugar, the vanilla and salt with electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. On low speed, gradually add flour, beating just until blended. Stir in chopped pecans.
• Shape dough into 11x2-inch log. Mix remaining 1/4 cup maple sugar and coarse sugar; roll dough log in sugar mixture, pressing lightly to coat. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Unwrap dough; cut into 40 (1/4-inch) slices. On ungreased cookie sheets, place slices 1 inch apart. Top each slice with pecan half.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks to cool completely. Brush cookies with maple syrup. Let stand until dry.

MAPLE-PECAN SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift flours and salt. Whisk in 1/2 cup chopped pecans; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and light, about one minute. Add the maple syrup, egg yolk, and extract; beat on medium speed until well combined. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Dough should be smooth and pliable. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, 1 1/2 hours or overnight.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds using a two-inch cookie cutter; place one inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg; sprinkle centers with remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Sprinkle the entire surface with turbinado sugar.
• Bake cookies, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

MAPLE AND PECAN SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• For the shortbread: Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure to leave several inches of overhang on each side to lift out the shortbread (or use a rectangular tart mold with removable bottom). Cream together the sugar and butter, using an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla, and then the flour and salt. The dough will be crumbly, pea-size balls. Dust your fingers in flour, evenly distribute the crumbles throughout the dough, and then press evenly into the pan and the edges, forming a smooth dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake until the shortbread is a nice golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the crust completely in the pan set over a wire rack.
• For the maple butter: Bring the maple syrup to a boil, without stirring, in a small high-sided saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the syrup, lowering the heat to medium if it begins to foam up to the top of the pot, until a candy thermometer reaches 235 degrees F to 240 degrees F (113 to 116 degrees C), soft-ball stage, about 15 minutes. Place the saucepan in a basin or bowl of ice water. Let cool, without stirring, until the thermometer reads about 120 degrees F (50 degrees C), 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the water. Beat the syrup, using a hand-held electric mixer on medium-high speed, until creamy, light in color (like peanut butter) and thickened, about 5 minutes. Continue to stir the maple syrup using a wooden spoon until it has lightened a few more shades, lost some of its sheen and slowly oozes off the spoon. Spread the maple butter over the cooled crust. Top with the toasted pecans and gently press into the maple butter. Sprinkle with sea salt. Set the pan aside for 30 minutes so the maple butter can set. It will change from a shiny finish to a dull, matte finish. Gently lift out of the pan and cut into 24 pieces.

MAPLE PECAN SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine the flour and 1/3 cup brown sugar in a mixer. Mix in the softened butter until a dough has formed. Press into an ungreased 8x8-inch baking dish, and prick with a fork.
• Bake the shortbread in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. While the shortbread is baking, beat the egg in a mixing bowl along with 1/3 cup brown sugar, maple syrup, and pecans. Pour the pecan mixture over the hot crust, and return to the oven. Continue baking until firmed, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and immediately run a knife around the edges to prevent sticking. Cool completely, then cut into 1-inch squares to serve.

MAPLE-PECAN SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Sift flours and salt into a bowl. Whisk in chopped pecans.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and light, about 1 minute. Add maple syrup, egg yolk, and extract; beat on medium speed until well combined. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Dough should be smooth and pliable. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm, 1 1/2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds using a 2-inch cookie cutter; place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg; place pecan half in the center of each cookie. Sprinkle the entire surface with turbinado sugar.
• Bake cookies, rotating sheet halfway through, until golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 4 days.

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.