Spiced Shortbread Food

BROWN SUGAR SPICED SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture is like fine crumbs. Pack the crumbs into a ball, then knead by hand until smooth. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 8 inch circle. Place the circle on a baking sheet, and slice into 16 wedges. Leave the circle intact.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center has set. Cut the circle into wedges again while it is still warm, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

FIVE-SPICE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a small bowl, combine the ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise, and sugar.
• 2. Cut the chilled log into twenty 1/2-inch rounds. Dip one cut surface of each round into the spice mixture and arrange the rounds 2 inches apart on all sides on a parchment-lined or nonstick cookie sheet or sheets.
• 3. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the cookies with a spatula and cool on a wire rack.

SAVORY SPICED SHORTBREAD BITES

Steps:

• Beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Blend all seasonings well with flour, and add all to the butter mixture. Mix with until just combined.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead about 8 times with hands, until dough comes together. Add ice water as needed if dough is too crumbly. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. On a sheet of wax paper, roll each piece of dough into a 3/4"-thick log. Sprinkle lightly with a dusting of cayenne, or a mix of all the above spices if you like.
• Wrap each log in wax paper and freeze for about 20 minutes, until fairly firm.
• Slice about 1/2" thick and bake for 15 minutes at 350.
• (The logs can be frozen a week or more ahead of time, but you will want to let them soften a bit before slicing, to prevent crumbling.).