Shortbread Cookie Bars Food

SHORTBREAD COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Add butter to a mixer and cream until fluffy (2-3 minutes.)
• Add Powdered Sugar and mix until combined.
• Add Baking Soda with the Flour (one cup at a time) and mixed just until combined.
• Divide the dough into two equal portions. Wrap one in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• Press half of the dough into a parchment paper-lined baking pan (we used a 7x11" Brownie Pan to have a little bit of a thicker shortbread layer but a 9x13" pan will work too.)
• Bake the Shortbread crust in an oven preheated to 325 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven. It should be a little bit brown, just around the edges of the crust.
• Stir the jam to smooth it out and then pour it into the center of the pan. Smooth the jam over the entire cookie crust.
• Take the second portion of shortbread dough out of the refrigerator. Scatter pieces of the dough on the top of the jam.
• Increase the oven temperature to 375 and place the pan back in the oven. Cook the cookie bars for an additional 15 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely before cutting into individual cookie bar pieces.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.
• Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.

SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Combine flour and cornstarch; gradually add to creamed mixture. , Pat into an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Pierce several times with a fork. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until lightly browned. Cut while warm.

SHORTBREAD SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix flour, butter, confectioners' sugar, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pat dough into a 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into bars while still warm.

SUPER-EASY SHORTBREAD (3 INGREDIENTS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°.
• Cream butter and sugar together.
• Add flour and mix till texture is like clay.
• Press dough into ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan, prick all over with a fork, and sprinkle with sugar (tilt pan to cover the top evenly, then shake excess sugar back into the sugar canister).
• Bake for about 40-45 minutes (till very lightly browned--just golden around the edges).
• Let stand for 5 minutes, then cut into 24 squares while warm.
• Leave in pan to cool thoroughly. (Shortbread will not be crisp until cool.).
• Less easy method: Chill dough. Roll into 1-inch balls, then press balls to about 1/4-inch thickness on ungreased cookie sheets with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar (sometimes you can find a glass with a pretty design on the bottom, like a star). Bake at 300° for about 20-25 minutes (until edges are very lightly browned).
• Least easy method: Chill dough. Roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness, sprinkle with sugar, then cut with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 300° for about 20-25 minutes (until edges are very lightly browned).
• Variation: Add 2 tablespoons dried lavender to the creamed butter and sugar before adding flour. It may sound strange, but the flavor is subtle and elegant. Food-grade lavender is usually available in herb bins at health food stores, and I recently found it at a great price from Atlantic Spice online (their Lavender #1).
• Variation: After cutting shortbread into squares (it will still be warm), scatter 1 cup of chocolate chips over the top, let the chocolate soften completely, then spread as a thin layer and let cool completely before removing from pan. (No need to sprinkle shortbread with sugar before baking if you plan to do this.).
• Variation: Stir 1 cup chocolate chips or butterscotch chips into the dough before pressing into pan. You can also try melting the butterscotch over the top, as above. In England, you'll find "caramel shortbread," which has a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate on top of the shortbread. It's wonderful (of course!). I've tried various ways of doing this and various kinds of caramel, but it's been a while and I don't remember what works best. It can be tricky not to make a mess!

BUTTERY 3-INGREDIENT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour. Press dough into an ungreased 9-in. square baking pan. Prick with a fork., Bake until light brown, 30-35 minutes. Cut into squares while warm. Cool completely on a wire rack. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar.

TWIX BAR SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• SHORTBREAD:.
• Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease with butter a 9x9" baking pan.
• In bowl of electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together. Press onto the bottom of a greased pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until pale golden in color. Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.
• CARAMEL FILLING:.
• Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk into a heatproof bowl and place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cover and cook, over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 60 to 90 minutes or until the milk has thickened and has turned a caramel color. Remove from heat and beat until smooth. Pour the caramel over the baked shortbread and leave to set.
• (Microwave method: Place sweetened condensed milk in a large microwaveable bowl and cook on medium power for about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time. Reduce the power to medium-low and continue to cook for another 8 - 12 minutes, or until the milk has thickened and turned a light caramel color. Remove from microwave and beat until smooth).
• TOPPING:.
• Melt chocolate and butter either in the microwave oven or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the caramel and leave to set. Cut the shortbread in to pieces using a sharp knife.
• Store cut bars in refrigerator to keep chocolate firm. Chilled chocolate doesn't cut clean.

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. , Spread into an ungreased 11x7-in. baking pan. Prick several times with a fork. Bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

FRAN'S EASY SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Cream icing sugar and butter until fluffy.
• Combine flours and add to the butter mixture, in small portions.
• Turn batter out into a sided 15 x 9 cookie pan or jelly roll pan. Press to the sides and smooth with the back of a spoon.
• Score into bars with a sharp knife and prick the surface with a fork. Sprinkle with the 2 tbsp of sugar.
• Bake 10 minutes at 350°, then lower the oven to 300°. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes.
• Remove from oven and immediately cut along the scored lines.
• Cool, then store in an airtight container.