Oatmeal Shortbread Wreaths Food

OATMEAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325. Spread oats on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until fragrant and lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Let cool completely.
• In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup cooled oats; process until finely ground, 1 minute. Add butter. Pulse until mixture is the consistency of coarse meal. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking pan; press firmly into bottom. Sprinkle remaining oats on top, and press gently.
• Bake until firm and lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Using a paring knife, immediately score shortbread into 16 squares; then score each square diagonally into 2 triangles. On a wire rack, cool completely in pan; gently invert, and break along scored lines.

CORNFLAKE CHRISTMAS WREATHS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Combine the marshmallows and butter in a large bowl and microwave on 50-percent power in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until melted, about 1 minute 30 seconds.
• Stir in the vanilla and enough food coloring to make the mixture a deep green, 10 to 15 drops. Stir in the cornflakes until they are completely coated.
• Working with wet hands, form the mixture into twenty-four 2-inch balls. Flatten on the prepared baking sheets and poke a hole in the middle of each with your finger, molding the sides as needed to form a wreath shape. Decorate with the cinnamon candies to create holly berries. Form the red candy strips into a simple bow on each wreath. Sprinkle lightly with the white nonpareils for snow. Let set at room temperature to firm up, about 2 hours, or refrigerate 30 minutes.

MEYER-LEMON SHORTBREAD WREATH COOKIES

Steps:

• Cookies: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with zest on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in confectioners' sugar until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute more. Reduce speed to low. Beat in lemon juice and salt, then flour, until combined. Divide dough in half, transfer each to plastic wrap, pat into disks, wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days (or freeze up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before using).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Working with one disk at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Stamp out rounds with a 3-inch cutter, preferably fluted. Transfer to prepared sheets, 1 inch apart. Use a 1- to 1 1/4-inch plain round cutter to stamp out centers of 3-inch rounds. Gather scraps; roll out again, stamping out more wreaths. Repeat with remaining disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake, rotating sheets and rack positions halfway through, until set and pale golden on bottoms, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week before decorating.
• Glaze and Decorations: Brush herbs with egg white; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Transfer to wire rack; let stand until stiff and dry, at least 1 hour or, loosely covered, up to 1 day. In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. One at a time, dip cookie tops in glaze; lift and tilt slightly for a few seconds, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Transfer to wire rack; decorate with sugared herbs and candies. Let stand until set, about 2 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, between sheets of parchment, up to 2 days.

OATMEAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the flour, oats and salt. Press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Prick with a fork if desired. Bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

NO-BAKE M&M'S WREATHS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the cereals in a bag and roughly crush into small pieces with a rolling pin. Pour into a large bowl, add the peanuts and raisins and toss.
• Combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, until the caramel darkens a shade and releases from the sides of the pan when stirred, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. When the caramel stops bubbling, stir in the marshmallows and food coloring. Add to the cereal mixture and stir.
• Working quickly, drop 1/4-cup mounds of the mixture onto the baking sheet. Let cool slightly, then press each into a wreath shape while still warm and press mini M&M'S onto each. Let stand until set, about 1 hour.

ROSEMARY-CORNMEAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• 1. Lightly grease a 9 1/4-inch (23 cm) fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl until well blended. 2. Put the butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer fitted with wire beaters). Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the rosemary and vanilla and beat on medium until blended and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the dough forms moist clumps. Dump the dough into the prepared pan. Using lightly floured fingertips, press the dough into the pan to form an even layer. Make sure to press the dough into the scalloped edges to form a clean edge. Sprinkle the fleur de sel or sanding sugar, if using, evenly over the top. 3. Using the tip of a knife or a bench scraper, score the dough all the way through, forming 16 wedges. With the tines of a fork, prick each wedge twice all the way through, starting at the widest part of the wedge and spacing them about 1/2 inch (12 mm) apart. Lightly flour the tines of the fork as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Slide the pan into the freezer or fridge for about 10 minutes while the oven heats. 4. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C/gas 2). 5. Bake the shortbread until the top looks dry and very pale brown, 39 to 41 minutes. Move the pan to a rack. Using a small paring or serrated knife (I don't use a bench scraper for this because it compresses the cookies' edges), immediately recut the wedges using the scored lines as a guide. Let the shortbread cool completely before removing them from the pan. 6. Serve the cookies with a dusting of confectioners' sugar.
• Instead of the rosemary, use one of the following combinations: Double ginger: 2 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger + 1/3 cup (1 3/8 oz./39 g) finely chopped crystallized ginger (add both with the vanilla). Cinnamon toast: 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon added to the flour + 1 Tbs. granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon sprinkled over the shortbread and pressed lightly into the dough before baking. Espresso chip: 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder (dissolved in the vanilla extract) + 1/3 cup (2 oz./57 g) finely chopped bittersweet chocolate.
• To make rectangular cookies: Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan (the straight-sided type makes for a cleaner-looking cookie) with parchment. Prepare the dough as directed. Using lightly floured fingertips, press the dough into the pan to form an even layer. Using the tip of a knife or a bench scraper (my tool of choice), score the dough all the way through, forming 1 x 2-inch (2.5 x 5 cm) bars. With the tines of a fork, prick each bar two or three times all the way through, spacing them evenly and on the diagonal. Lightly flour the tines of the fork as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Proceed as directed.
• To make round cookies: Have ready two cookie sheets lined with parchment or nonstick liners. Prepare the dough as directed. Arrange a large piece of parchment on the work surface and scrape the dough onto the center. Cover with another piece of parchment and press down on the dough to flatten. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between the parchment to a 1/4-inch (6 mm) thickness, turning, lifting, and repositioning the parchment and lightly flouring throughout the rolling. Slide the dough onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Remove the top piece of parchment from the chilled dough. Using a 2 1/2-inch (6 cm) round cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Using the end of a straw, punch out three holes in the center of each round. Arrange about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Stack the scraps, gently press together, reroll, chill, and cut as directed. Slide the cookie sheets into the fridge while the oven heats (at least 15 minutes). Bake, one sheet at a time, until the tops look dry and very pale brown, 26 to 28 minutes.

ALMOND WREATHS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the all-purpose flour, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, almond butter, honey and almond extract in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat in the almond flour until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
• Pipe 2 1/2-inch rings about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. (If the dough is too stiff to pipe, let soften slightly at room temperature.) Decorate the cookies with sanding sugar and/or nonpareils. Refrigerate the cookies until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges, about 18 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

OATMEAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla and beat until fluffy.
• Blend flour, baking soda, and rolled oats and then add to butter mixture.
• Mix well.
• Chill dough for 1 hour.
• Roll dough into balls and flatten with a fork.
• Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 dgrees for 13 to 15 minutes until lightly browned.