Valentine Shortbread Cookies Food

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.

VALENTINE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream 1 1/4 cups margarine in large bowl.
• Gradually add sugar; beat until light and fluffy.
• Add 1/4 tsp almond extract and salt.
• Gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.
• Add ground almonds.
• Press dough into a 10x15" jelly roll pan; prick with a fork.
• Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until very lightly browned.
• Cut into diamond shapes and remove from pan; cool completely.
• Meanwhile in a small mixing bowl, cream remaining 6 Tbsp margarine with confectioners sugar and milk until light and fluffy; beat in chocolate and 1/4 tsp almond extract.
• Spread frosting on cookies.
• Decorate as desired.
• (I make my own pink chocolate hearts from Merck's wafers using a mold, and put one on top of each cookie.).

VALENTINE CINNAMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix room softened butter with sugar and vanilla.
• Combine cinnamon with salt and flour. Add to butter mixture and mix until it forms a dough.
• On waxed paper press a small amount of dough into a heart shaped cookie cutter. If using M&Ms decorate after placing cookie dough on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• If using red cinnamon heart candies, place undecorated cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet in a 325 degree oven. Remove after 5-7 minutes and decorate with red cinnamon heart candies. Place back in oven and finish baking. This allows candies to not get completely melted.
• TOTAL time for baking cookies is approximately 15 minutes. Do NOT let cookies get brown edges.
• Yield depends on size of cookie used. 36 is an approximate amount.

EASY SHORTBREAD HEART-SHAPED COOKIES

Steps:

• Add butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the bowl of a large food processor. Process until smooth (about eight 1-second pulses). Add flour and pulse until mixture looks crumbly and chunky (about six 1-second pulses). Add sprinkles and quickly pulse several more times, until the sprinkles are just evenly incorporated.
• Turn the dough out onto a large piece of wax paper and form the crumbles into a log that's about 14 inches long. Shape the log so that it has three flat sides, giving the ends a triangular shape (the log should look like a long triangular prism).
• Wrap the triangular log with the wax paper. Take a wooden ruler (or another long, thin object) and press an indentation into one flat side of the log. Round the edges of that side to form a heart-shaped log. Place the wrapped cookie dough on a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes. Fine-tune the shape of the heart (if necessary) and freeze for 2 to 3 more hours or until solid.
• Place rack in center position of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove log of dough from the freezer. Allow the cookie dough to come to room temperature for 5 minutes or until just soft enough that it doesn't crack or crumble when sliced. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into slices that are approximately 3/8-inch thick. Arrange cookies an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookies just barely turn a light golden color around the edges, between 12 and 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets.