Shortbread Cookies Ii Food

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 160C/325F (standard) or 150C/300F (fan forced / convection).
• Butter and line a 31.5 x 23.5 cm / 9 x 13" pan with baking paper with overhang.
• Beat butter until smooth (or use very soft butter and a wooden spoon). Add icing sugar and beat until combined.
• Add half the flour and beat until mostly combined - it will resemble wet sand. Then beat in the remainder. Use your hands to bring it together into a smooth ball of dough - knead lightly if required.
• Roughly press down into a rectangle shape, then transfer into the pan. Press into the pan. Optional: Roll over the top using a small rolling pin or glass (that's what I used) for a smooth surface. Don't press down too hard - it makes the cookies firmer
• Bake for 20 minutes until edges are very light golden and most of the surface is still pale gold.
• Remove from the oven. Working quickly, cut into desired shape (I do 8 x 3 bars, like Walker's shortbread biscuits) and prick all over with a fork (optional).
• Return to the oven for 8 minutes or until the surface is light golden - not browned. Turn the oven off, crack it open ajar, then leave to cool for at least 1 hour in the oven.
• Remove from the oven, use paper overhang to remove the biscuits from the pan. Cool fully on rack. Serve with tea!!

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-12-1/2-inch jelly roll pan and line it with parchment, then butter the paper.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low until the dough is just combined; do not overwork.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, spreading it out as evenly as possible with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, then use your hands to press and flatten the dough into a smooth even layer. Remove the plastic and cut the dough with a sharp knife into approximately 1-by-3-inch bars. Use a fork to prick a decorative pattern into the tops.
• Bake, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through, until golden, 60 to 70 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes in the pan, then re-cut the bars along the previous cuts. Carefully lift the bars off the parchment with a small spatula and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in vanilla; add flour and mix well.
• Put through cookie press and form cookies onto baking sheets. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Blend all ingredients well. Dough will be stiff.
• Press into a 9 x 9 inch buttered dish. Prick top with a fork.
• Bake until pale golden brown on the edges. Cool and cut into squares.

SIMPLE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add flour, mix well.
• Roll out and cut into desired shapes, place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes until pale golden.

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD COOKIES IN 4 INGREDIENTS WITH ADDED 1 INGREDIENT VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add the flour, salt, and powdered sugar to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add in the vanilla, the butter and the 1 teaspoon of water. Pulse together just until a dough is formed. Put the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 5 inches long. Tightly twist each end of the wrap in opposite directions. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Arrange on nonstick cookie sheets, parchment lined or silpat lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are just light brown, about 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans half way through the baking process. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool until room temperature. Enjoy!
• Variations:
• Pulse together the tea with the flour and salt in a food processor just until the tea is in small pieces evenly distributed throughout the flour. Then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, the butter and the 1 teaspoon of water. Continue as instructed above.
• Pulse the toasted and chopped pecans into the dough and then shape into a flattened round disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. On a flour dusted surface, roll the dough out to approximately 1/3-inch thick. (If the dough is too hard to roll or begins to crack, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes until pliable.) With a sharp knife, cut the dough into rectangle shapes about 1 by 3-inches. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets and follow the cooking instructions as above. Dust slightly cooled cookies with powdered sugar through a fine mesh strainer.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Lightly butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add 1/2 cup butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gather dough together and form into ball; flatten into disk. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch-thick round. Transfer round to prepared pan. Using fingers, press dough evenly over bottom to edges of pan. Using tip of small sharp knife, score dough into 8 equal triangles, then pierce all over with fork. Bake until shortbread is cooked through and pale golden, about 45 minutes.
• Using tip of sharp knife, cut warm shortbread into triangles along scored lines. Run knife around shortbread to loosen. Cool in pan at least 30 minutes. Release springform pan sides. Using spatula, carefully remove shortbread from pan (shortbread will be fragile). DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store shortbread airtight in single layer at room temperature.

CANADIAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
• Combine the butter, sugar, flour and maple syrup, blend until smooth.
• On a lightly floured surface roll dough out 1/2 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 20 minutes, watch carefully so as not to overcook. Let cookies cool before eating.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES III

Steps:

• Work all the ingredients together with your hands until blended. Shape all of the dough into 1 inch balls.
• Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 20 minutes.
• Let cool 10 minutes then carefully lift with spatula to cake racks to cool. Store in air tight container with wax paper between layers. Cookies keep well.
• Variations: Flatten some balls with tines of fork and press 1/4 of a red or green glace cherry in center of each. Make thumbprint indentation in some balls and fill with a tiny bit of jam, jelly or marmalade. Dip some balls in slightly beaten egg white and roll in finely chopped walnuts. Bake as they are or make an indentation in top and spoon in a little jam or marmalade. Dip some balls in egg white and roll in desiccated coconut. Bake as they are or make an indentation and spoon in a little jam, jelly or marmalade.

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 COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together cornstarch, confectioner's sugar and flour.
• Blend in butter with spoon until smooth soft dough forms.
• Shape into 1 inch balls. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with lightly floured fork.
• Bake in 300 F oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Note: If dough is too soft to handle, cover and chill for 1 hour.
• Hints: my sister got me into using confectioner's sugar instead of flour for flattening these cookies. We use the maraschino cherries cut in half and pressed into the center of the cookies after flattened. You can use glazed cherries too. We use one 1/2 red cherry and 2 1/4 green cherry to make holly berries on some cookies. We leave some without cherries, just in case someone doesn't want them.

GRANDMA'S SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together corn starch, icing sugar and flour.
• With wooden spoon (or by hand as I do it), blend in butter until soft, smooth dough forms.
• Shape into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls.
• Place 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) apart on an ungreased cookie sheet, flatten with lightly floured fork.
• Alternatively, roll dough to 1/4 inch (6 mm); cut into shapes with cookie cutters.
• Decorate with candied cherries, colored sprinkles or nuts if desired.
• Bake in 300 Fahrenheit oven for 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
• Cool on wire rack.
• Tips:.
• Do not substitute anything for the butter otherwise it's not a genuine shortbread cookie. ETA: Sadielady reminded that I forgot to mention the type of butter. Please forgive the D'oh moment. Please use unsalted butter. I never ever add salt. Any added salt in baked goods is not pleasing to my palate and too much salt is unhealthy but you may want to add a bit.
• You can "nuke" aka microwave the butter to soften it rather than letting it sit out. It saves time and won't alter the taste. Just make sure you don't melt it.
• If dough is too soft to handle then cover and chill for 30-60 minutes (15 minutes worked for me).
• To make Crescents:.
• Add 1/2 cup (125 ml) ground almonds or hazelnuts to flour mixture.
• Shape into logs about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick and 3 inches (7 cm) long.
• Twist into crescent shapes.
• When baked and cool, dip ends in melted chocolate.