Three Cheese Shortbreads Food

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!

PARMESAN SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

Steps:

• Process the butter, flour and parmesan in a food processor until a wet crumbly dough; OR
• Alternative method: Place the flour and butter into a bowl and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until a crumble dough forms. Then add the parmesan cheese and use your fingers to rub it into the mixture.
• If you are making rosemary biscuits, add the rosemary at the same time as the parmesan cheese.
• Lightly flour a surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead to bring together, then shape into two logs with a diameter of around 3 cm / 1.2" and about 15cm/6" in length.
• Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. (Note 2)
• Preheat oven to 180°C/350F. Line 1 large baking tray or 2 ordinary baking trays with baking paper (parchment paper).
• Remove the log from the fridge and use a sharp knife to cut the log into 7mm/ 1/3" thick rounds.
• Place the biscuits onto the baking tray at least 2cm / 1" apart.
• Bake biscuits for 12 minutes or until light golden.
• Stand on trays for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

THREE-CHEESE SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Beat the butter until light and fluffy.
• Stir in the three cheeses, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, and flour. Mix well.
• If the dough is too crumbly, add milk tablespoon by tablespoon, until the dough holds together.
• Pat the dough into a disc and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Roll the dough out into a large 1/4-inch thick circle. Use a scalloped cookie cutter to cut out the shortbreads.
• Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown.

SCOTTISH SHARP-CHEDDAR SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Using electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat together butter, salt, black pepper, and cayenne at low speed just until blended. Add Cheddar and flour and mix at low speed just until smooth (do not overmix). Shape dough into disk, wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper, and chill 30 minutes.
• Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4- to 1/8-inch-thick round. Using 1 1/2- to 2-inch round cutter, cut out rounds and arrange 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Reroll scraps if desired (rerolled scraps will be tougher).
• Bake shortbread until lightly golden and beginning to brown on edges, about 13 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

CHEDDAR CHEESE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk together salt, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper and set aside.
• Mix cheese and butter with a stand or hand mixture until smooth.
• Whisk the spice mix into the flour.
• Add flour/spice mixture 1/2 cup at a time.
• Knead the dough for a few minutes until all the little pieces that were at the bottom of the mixing bowl come together.
• Roll dough into small balls, place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment or a non-stick baking pad.
• Press each small ball with a small glass or a shot glass to flatten and make a consistent size.
• Chill to dough balls for 1-2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Bake for 16-19 minutes until they are golden brown.
• Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

SAVORY SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Add flour and cayenne pepper to the bowl of a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
• Add cheese to the food processor; pulse until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
• Using a fork, stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Have ready several pieces of parchment paper.
• Form mixture into two 1-inch-diameter logs, and wrap in parchment. Transfer the logs to the refrigerator, and chill until very firm, at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove logs from refrigerator, and cut each one into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place the rounds on prepared baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.
• Bake the shortbread until golden, about 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets between shelves halfway through baking.
• Transfer shortbread to wire racks to cool. Bake remaining dough. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

CHEDDAR SHORTBREAD ROUNDS

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, and spices in a food processor. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add cheese and process until dough starts to hold together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half, and roll into logs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut dough into 1/4 inch-thick slices and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until slightly browned. Let cool completely on cookie sheets; remove. Store in an airtight container.