Marmalade Almond Shortbread Food

ALMOND SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Blend and pulse the 1/2 cup nuts in a food processor with the sugar until mixture resembles coarse sand. (If there are a couple small chunks of nuts that is fine.) Add the butter, vanilla and almond extracts, and the salt, and pulse until creamy. Add the flour and continue to pulse to make a soft dough.
• Turn the dough out into a 9-inch tart pan and spread it out evenly with an off-set spatula. Dip the spatula in a little warm water to help smooth and even the surface of the shortbread. Cover and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and dock (prick) the dough all over with a fork. Generously sprinkle the top of the shortbread with sugar. Toss the remaining whole almonds in the egg white; evenly arrange and press the nuts into the dough around the edge of the pan. Bake until golden brown and set, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Cool the short bread in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the tart ring and cut the shortbread with a sharp knife into wedges, each with a nut. Cool shortbreads on a rack completely. (Alternatively present the shortbread as 1 large cookie. Cool the shortbread in the pan completely and remove the tart ring. Cut the shortbread into wedges as desired.) Serve. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

ALMOND SHORTBREAD COOKIES (MANTECADITOS)

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour and nutmeg in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter, shortening, sugar and extracts in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually stir in flour mixture until well mixed. Dough should be slightly moist. If dough looks dry, sprinkle with water and work into dough. If dough is sticky, sprinkle with additional flour.
• 2. Spoon dough by teaspoons and shape into balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Gently flatten each ball with palm of hand. Press a cherry piece in the center of each cookie.
• 3. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

TOFFEE ALMOND SHORTBREAD BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degree F.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and brown sugar.
• Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling.
• Stir in almonds and toffee pieces. Form the mixture into a ball and knead gently until smooth.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/4-inch thickness.
• Cut dough using a 1-1/4- to 1-1/2-inch scalloped or round cutter.
• Reroll dough as needed.
• Place rounds 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until bottoms just start to brown and edges are firm.
• Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

BOOZY MARMALADE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
• With an electric hand mixer, combine the butter, granulated sugar and vanilla and beat on medium high until creamy. Show restraint by not eating too much of this mixture before you can make the cookies. Sift together the flour and salt, and then slowly add to the butter/sugar/vanilla mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined (over-mixing will cause the cookies to be chewy and gross). If your name is Alie Ward, eat half this dough mixture. Form the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough between two pieces of plastic or parchment to 1/8 inch thick. Use a 2 1/2- to 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut dough into 36 to 40 rounds, using a smaller cookie cutter to cut a hole in the center of half the cookies. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake until the edges begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until room temp.
• For the boozy marmalade: Mix the orange marmalade, orange liqueur and bitters in a small bowl until combined. Spread about one tablespoon of the mixture on each whole cookie, placing a cookie with the cutout on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and devour the cookies whole.

ALMOND SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the beaten egg and extract. Add the flour, ground almonds and lemon zest and mix until the dough comes together.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead into a ball. Divide the dough in half and then roll each half into a log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (the dough can be frozen at this point for a later use).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets and bake until golden brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 3 or 4 minutes before transferring to wire cooling racks to cool completely, or just eat warm from the oven.

ALMOND SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 180C (Gas Mark 4)
• Mix Flour and Caster Sugar in a bowl
• Rub in the Butter/Margarine until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
• Add the Ground Almond
• Press mixture into a baking tray
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until firm to the touch and very lightly brown
• Cool in the tin

MARMALADE-ALMOND SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; beat in extract.
• Combine the flour and salt then gradually add to the creamed mixture.
• Roll into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.
• Using the end of wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the centre of each ball and fill with jam.
• Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned; remove to wire racks to cool.
• Drizzle icing over after cookies have been cooled.

APPLE AND ORANGE MARMALADE SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk together the marmalade, almond extract, salt and 2 teaspoons water in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Set the apples on a cutting board. Cut the flesh away from the cores, making 4 apple "cheeks" from each apple. Discard the cores. Cut the flesh into very thin slices and add it to the bowl with marmalade; toss to coat. Divide the apples among 4 small plates and sprinkle each serving with cherries and crushed cookie.

GINGER-ALMOND SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar and almond extract until smooth.
• Add flour, ginger, and ground almonds and beat mixture until well combined.
• On a floured surface, roll dough out to 1/2-inch thickness.
• Cut into two-inch rounds and place 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Press a whole almond into the center of each cookie and bake about 20 minutes or until very lightly colored.
• Remove to rack and cool.