Nut Butter Shortbread Trees Food

MIXED-NUT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Stir together butter and 1/3 cup sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until combined well. Stir in vanilla, then add flour and mix with your hands just until a dough forms.
• Transfer dough to a lightly greased baking sheet and spread evenly with your fingers to form an 8-inch square. Sprinkle nuts evenly over dough, pressing down to help them adhere.
• Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar over nuts and bake until shortbread is deep golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool on baking sheet on a rack, 10 minutes. Cut into 18 (roughly 3- by 1 1/2-inch) bars.

SHORTBREAD, 10 WAYS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse together flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some of the crumbs start to come together, but don't overprocess; the dough should be somewhat crumbly. (You can also mix the dough in a bowl using two knives or a pastry cutter.)
• Press dough into an even layer in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan, or a 9-inch pie pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch square or pie pan, 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm.

PEANUT BUTTER SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• beat butter and peanut butter at medium speed with mixer till creamy -- gradually add sugar, beating well.stir in vanilla.
• combine flour and salt, gradually add to butter mixture -- beating at low speed till blended.
• roll dough to 1/2" thickness on lightly floured surface.cut with desired cutter.and place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• bake at 275* for 45 minutes -- .

HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD TREES

Steps:

• Beat butter, rind and sifted icing sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in sifted flours and spice, add hazelnut meal in 2 batches.
• Knead dough on floured surface until smooth. roll dough between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick, refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 180/160°C fan-forced. Grease oven trays or line with baking paper.
• Using 3cm, 5cm, 7cm star shaped cutters cut 24 of each size star from dough. Place small stars about 1cm apart on an oven tray, place remaining stars about 2 cm apart on oven tray.
• Bake small stars about 10 minutes, Bake larger stars about 15 minutes, Stand 5 minutes, cool on wire racks.
• Meanwhile, make brandy butter cream.
• Sandwich two of each size cookie with butter cream. Assemble trees by joining three different size stars together with butter cream.
• Decorate trees by joinin cachous to stars with a tiny dot of butter cream, Dust trees with extra icing sugar.
• Brandy Butter Cream.
• Beat butter, rind , sifted icing sugar and brandy in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.