Spiral Shortbread Cookies Food

SHORTBREAD WEDGE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper leaving enough overhang around the sides to easily lift shortbread out. (Tip: Parchment is used so you can easily remove the shortbread and not cut it while it's in the pan. I like to use a square of parchment and I cut a 1-inch slit in the center of each side. This helps reduce the amount of creases when lined in the pan.)
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and salt and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour and cornstarch and beat on low speed for 1 minute as the mixture begins to combine. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat for 1-3 minutes or until the dough clumps together. (It will eventually, just keep mixing it.) If you're adding dry add-ins (see above), this is when you'll add them.
• Divide dough in half. If you want to be totally accurate, weigh the halves to make sure they're even. Recipe makes almost 1.5 lbs of plain dough (will weigh more if you added add-ins). Press each half of dough into a prepared cake pan. You want it nice and compact in the pans. Sprinkle with optional coarse sugar. Dock the surface all over with a fork to prevent air bubbles.
• Bake the shortbread for 28-30 minutes or until very lightly browned on top and around the edges.
• Remove from the oven, place pans on a wire rack, and cool shortbread for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove the shortbread from the pans by picking it up with the parchment paper on the sides. Cut each into 8 large, 12 medium, or 16 small wedges. You want to make sure you cut the shortbread while it's still warm. Enjoy warm or cool shortbread completely on wire racks.
• Cover and store shortbread at room temperature for up to 1 week. If you added a topping such as glaze, icing, buttercream, or melted chocolate, refrigerate after 2 days.

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.

VANILLA-AND-CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD SWIRLS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stop mixer and add flour mixture; mix on low speed until just combined. Remove half the dough; divide into two equal pieces, wrap in plastic, and set aside while you make the chocolate dough.
• In a small bowl, stir together cocoa, espresso, and 2 tablespoons hot water. Add cocoa mixture to remaining cookie dough and mix on low speed until color is uniform, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
• Place half the chocolate dough on a sheet of parchment and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll dough into a 14-by-10-inch rectangle (dough will be very thin but can be easily patched if it tears). Set aside, still covered with plastic. Repeat rolling process with remaining chocolate dough and both pieces of vanilla dough.
• Place one sheet of chocolate dough on work surface and remove plastic. Remove plastic from one sheet of vanilla dough and invert, still attached to its parchment backing, onto chocolate dough, pressing gently with the palm of your hand to adhere. Gently peel back parchment paper to remove. Continue layering with remaining chocolate and vanilla doughs. Position dough with one short side parallel to edge of work surface, then roll dough into a tight spiral. Wrap log in parchment and place in a cardboard paper-towel tube that has been cut open from end to end (this will help retain the round shape of the log of dough). Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Trim ends from dough. Slice dough 1/4 inch thick. Roll each cookie between sheets of parchment into an oblong disk about 3 inches long and 1/8 inch thick; transfer to prepared sheets. Bake until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely. Working with one cookie at a time, dip an edge in melted chocolate and coat with pistachios. Transfer to fresh parchment-lined baking sheets and let stand until chocolate is set, 45 to 60 minutes.

SWIRL SHORTBREAD COOKIE SANDWICHES WITH RASPBERRY FILLING

Steps:

• For the raspberry filling: Combine the raspberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, crushing the fruit and stirring occasionally. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisk in the cornstarch and lower to a simmer. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the cream filling: Add the white chocolate to a bowl fitted over a pot of simmering water to make a double boiler. Heat until the chocolate is fully melted, then remove the bowl and allow to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Once cool, whisk in the mascarpone and confectioners' sugar and continue to whisk until all lumps of sugar are dissolved and the mixture is smooth and velvety.
• For the cookie dough: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla to the bowl and continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until well incorporated, 60 to 90 seconds.
• Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. On low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat to combine. Add the milk and mix just a bit more until everything is incorporated. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and pipe 1 1/2-inch circles of dough, about 12 on each sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for about 8 minutes.
• Bake until light golden brown on the sides, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets.
• Once all cookies have been baked and cooled, spoon the raspberry filling onto the bottom of half of the cookies. Scoop the cream filling into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and pipe it on top of the raspberry filling. Use the remaining cookies as tops to create sandwich cookie.

BASIC CHOCOLATE PINWHEEL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. , Divide dough in half; add cocoa to one portion. Divide each portion in half. On a baking sheet, roll out each portion between waxed paper into a 12x10-in. rectangle. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. , Remove waxed paper. Place one chocolate rectangle over a plain rectangle. Roll up tightly, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; wrap in plastic. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. , Place 2 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

SPIRAL SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Time does not include refrigerating the doughs.
• To make the plain dough: Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise.
• Separate the seeds from the skin by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside of the bean.
• Place the butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla bean seeds and orange zest in a medium sized mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute.
• Combine the baking powder, salt and flour and add to the butter mixture all at once.
• Beat on low speed just until combined, about 1 minute.
• (Do not overmix the dough, or it will become tough.) Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a 4-inch by 9-inch rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• (The dough can be made in advance and refrigerated overnight.) To make the chocolate dough: Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise.
• Separate the seeds from the skin by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside of the bean.
• Place the butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla bean seeds and orange zest in a medium sized mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute.
• Combine the baking powder, salt, cocoa powder and flour and add to the butter mixture all at once.
• Beat on low speed just until combined, about 1 minute.
• (Do not overmix the dough, or it will become tough.) Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a 4-inch by 9-inch rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for one hour.
• (The dough can be made in advance and refrigerated overnight.) To make the spiral pattern: Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
• Remove the doughs from the refrigerator.
• (They will be hard; to make them easier to roll, give them a few quick raps with a rolling pin.) Lightly flour each side of each piece of dough and roll each piece into a 7-inch by 16-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick.
• Brush what will be your bottom layer of dough with a thin coat of water.
• Place one dough on top of the other and roll out another inch or so.
• Brush the top dough with another thin coat of water to help the dough stick to itself.
• Starting at the long side, roll the two dough into a cylinder 1 1/2- to 1 3/4-inch in diameter.
• Put in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes or so until hard.
• Cut the cylinder into 1/2-inch thick slices and lay the cookies cut side down on a parchment paper covered baking sheet, about 1/2-inch apart.
• Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes and cool on a wire rack.
• The cookies will store for 5 days in an airtight container.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the butter, confectioner's sugar and vanilla in a large bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until combined, light, and fluffy.
• Add the flour and mix until it's crumbly and looks like it can't be mixed more.
• Add the milk and keep mixing. The dough should clump together after about 15 seconds.
• Place the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a very large star tip, and pipe onto a silicone mat lined baking sheet, with no more than 12 cookies per sheet.
• Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
• Let them cool completely (on the tray is fine)***, and enjoy!

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.

PISTACHIO PINWHEELS

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until they're very finely ground but not yet forming a paste, about 25 second-long pulses. Transfer the ground pistachios to a small bowl and set aside.
• To the same food processor (no need to wash after grinding the pistachios), add the butter and confectioners' sugar, and process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the yolks and almond extract, and process until the mixture is smooth and light. Add the flour and salt, and pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until you have a stiff, uniform dough.
• Transfer two-thirds of the dough (about 10 ounces/240 grams) to a medium bowl and add the almond flour to the bowl. Use a flexible spatula to work the almond flour into the dough until you have a uniform mixture.
• Scrape the almond dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Pat it down with your hands into a thinner layer, then place a piece of parchment paper on top. Roll out the dough between the sheets of parchment into a slab measuring about 12-by-8 inches and ¼-inch thick. (Uncover the dough and use a small offset spatula to shape the dough into a rectangle if necessary.) Slide the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and refrigerate the slab until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the ground pistachios to the food processor with the remaining dough and pulse until the mixture is thoroughly blended and the dough has taken on a green color, about 7 pulses. Set aside at room temperature while the almond dough chills.
• Remove the almond dough from the refrigerator and plop tablespoon-size pieces of the pistachio dough across the surface of the slab. Use the offset spatula to spread the pistachio dough across the length of the slab in an even layer, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the longer sides. Starting at one of the longer sides and using the parchment paper to help you, roll the dough into a tight spiraled log. Wrap the log in parchment paper and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill until the dough is very firm, at least 1 hour.
• When ready to bake, arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Sprinkle the demerara sugar across a cutting board. Remove the log from the refrigerator, unwrap, and roll across the board in the sugar, pressing down very firmly as you roll so the sugar adheres. Continue to roll and press until the entire log is coated. Using a sharp knife, shave a thin crosswise slice off of each end so you have straight sides with the full spiral exposed. Cut the log in half crosswise, then cut each half in half again to make quarters, and cut each quarter in half again for eighths. (This ensures even, equal slices.) As you cut, roll the pieces on the cutting board to prevent the pinwheels from gaining a flat side and losing their round shape. Cut each piece into 4 equal slices to make 32 cookies.
• Divide the cookies between the two prepared baking sheets and space them evenly. Bake the cookies on the upper and lower racks until they are golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes, switching racks and rotating the sheets front to back halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.

HIBISCUS-SPIRALED GINGER COOKIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 5 minutes. Add 1 egg and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, candied ginger, salt and ground ginger, and whisk together. Turn the mixer off, add flour mix to the butter all at once and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer speed to low and beat until flour is fully incorporated, scraping the bowl again if needed, about 30 seconds. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, pressing down to form a flat square. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 30 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine the turbinado sugar, hibiscus, edible flowers (if using) and orange zest.
• Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper into a 10-by-13-inch rectangle. Peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl, and brush the surface of the dough with the egg mixture. Sprinkle the hibiscus mixture over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border along one of the long edges. Press down lightly on the sugar to make sure it adheres to the dough. Turn the dough so that the coated long end is closest to you and, starting from that end, roll the dough into a tight log. Use the bottom sheet of parchment to help lift and roll the dough. Slice the log in equal halves, and wrap each half with 1 sheet of parchment. Refrigerate until the dough is firm enough to slice, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Slice each log into ½-inch rounds. Lay the rounds on the prepared baking sheet, spacing at least ½-inch apart.
• Bake until the cookies are golden at the bottom edges, rotating once halfway through baking, about 22 minutes. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The baked cookies can also be stored frozen in an airtight container for up to 10 days. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

CHRISTMAS PINWHEEL COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Resift again into another bowl.
• Beat the butter with the brown and white sugars in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until evenly blended. Gather the dough into a ball, and divide into two equal parts. Place one half in a second bowl. Add red food coloring to the dough in one bowl, and green food coloring to the dough in the other bowl. Use a fork or wooden spoon to blend the food coloring into the dough until evenly blended. Add additional drops of food coloring to make the desired shade.
• Roll out the red dough to 1/4 inch (5mm) thickness. Roll out the green dough to 1/4 inch (5mm) thickness, and place on top of the red dough. Beginning on one edge, roll the doughs to make a log so the two colors spiral inside each other. Wrap the log in waxed paper, then in a cotton towel, and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
• Unwrap the dough log, and place on a clean, lightly floured surface. Slice the log into rounds 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, and place on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven until set, 5 to 6 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent edges from browning. Remove from oven, and cool on racks.