Welcome to the culinary journey of creating heavenly shortbread! Immerse yourself in the art of baking as we delve into the secrets of crafting the perfect shortbread. With just a handful of simple ingredients and a few easy steps, you'll be able to create a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread that will transport you to a realm of pure bliss. Let's embark on this delectable adventure together and discover the key elements that make shortbread truly extraordinary.
Here are our top 4 tried and tested recipes!
HEAVENLY HASH BARS
A buttery, crunchy shortbread cookie topped with creamy dark fudge, jam-packed with marshmallow and toasted pecans... now THAT'S an idea of what to do with a chunk of dark chocolate!
Provided by Cucina Casalingo
Categories Bar Cookie
Time 2h
Yield 2 dozen cookies
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F
- Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, or line with parchment and grease the parchment.
- To make the crust:
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in the flour.
- The dough will seem very dry, and won't seem to want to become cohesive at first. Just keep beating, and it'll eventually come together.
- Press the dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with your fingers or a mini rolling pin (pastry roller).
- The dough will feel stiff, but just keep pressing on it until you've covered the bottom of the pan.
- Prick the dough all over with a fork; this will keep it from bubbling up as it bakes.
- Bake the crust for 35 to 40 minutes, until it's golden brown around the edges and beginning to brown on the top.
- Remove it from the oven, and loosen the edges with a heat-resistant plastic knife or a table knife.
- Make the topping while the shortbread begins to cool.
- To make the topping:
- Place the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan.
- Heat in the microwave, or over low heat on a burner, till the cream is steaming and barely beginning to form bubbles.
- Remove from the heat, and stir.
- The chocolate will gradually form a lump in the center of the bowl, then will start to expand as it absorbs the cream.
- Eventually the chocolate and cream will become one; keep stirring till it's very smooth.
- If all the chocolate doesn't seem melted, reheat very briefly, and keep stirring.
- Spread the warm chocolate atop the cookie crust.
- Sprinkle with the marshmallows, then the pecans.
- Immediately use a knife, or a baker's bench knife, to cut the bars into squares.
- You'll find it useful to run the knife under hot water and wipe it off every several cuts, to keep drag to a minimum.
- The reason you're cutting these bars immediately (admittedly, a somewhat messy proposition), is that if you wait till they're cool the bottom crust is more difficult to cut.
- Cover the pan, and place the bars in the refrigerator for about an hour, to set the chocolate.
- Remove from the fridge, and use a spatula to transfer the bars from the pan to a serving plate.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 3777, Fat 241.5, SaturatedFat 127.2, Cholesterol 366.3, Sodium 1300.2, Carbohydrate 416.9, Fiber 24.1, Sugar 258.7, Protein 34.8
HEAVENLY SHORTBREAD
Very easy to make and delicious.
Provided by Mazie
Categories Shortbread Cookies
Yield 36
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
- Cream softened butter thoroughly. ( If using margarine, add four drops of butter flavoring.) Slowly add sugar.
- Sift flour and corn starch before adding. Mix well. Press into an ungreased jelly roll pan 11 x 15 x 1 1/2 inches.
- Bake 30 minutes or until very light brown. Score and cut while warm.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 163 calories, Carbohydrate 16.3 g, Cholesterol 27.1 mg, Fat 10.4 g, Fiber 0.4 g, Protein 1.5 g, SaturatedFat 6.5 g, Sodium 72.9 mg, Sugar 5.6 g
HEAVENLY BROWNIE-ON-SHORTBREAD BARS
From Baking for All Occasions by Flo Braker. Flo says: "Baking the silky, intense chocolate topping on crunchy (firm) shortbread makes for neatly cut brownies that will lend panache to any dessert time. I prefer to chop the nuts for this recipe in a nut mill for consistently even chopped nuts. For a more attractive finish, after you chop the nuts, sieve them to remove nut "dust" before topping the brownie." Don't be put off by the length of the recipe, it's just very detailed.
Provided by Annacia
Categories Bar Cookie
Time 1h10m
Yield 36 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- PAN PREP:.
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Press a.
- sheet of aluminum foil to cover the outside bottom and sides of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch square pan.
- Lift off the foil, invert the pan, and gently press the foil into the pan to fit the contours.
- SHORTBREAD:.
- In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and.
- process briefly to blend.
- Scatter the butter pieces over the top and process with 1-second.
- bursts.
- Add the vanilla and continue with 1-second bursts until the ingredients form.
- small clumps.
- Stop before the mixture forms a ball.
- Scatter the clumps over the bottom of the prepared pan, and press with fingertips to line the bottom evenly.
- Bake the shortbread until it is pale gold and firm to the touch, 27 to 32 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan, about 20 minutes.
- HEAVENLY BROWNIE:.
- Briefly whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl to blend; set aside.
- In a small, heavy saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over very low heat, stirring with a silicone spatula until smooth.
- Remove from the heat and stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture, combining thoroughly.
- Set aside for 5 to 7 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten.
- Add the slightly cooled chocolate mixture to the eggs, stirring to blend. Stir in the vanilla, then the flour mixture.
- Pour the batter over the shortbread, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.
- Sprinkle the nuts evenly over the batter.
- Gently pat them in place.
- Bake the brownie until the top looks slightly cracked about 1 inch from the edge around the pan and feels soft to the touch, 27 - 30 minutes (Don't overbake; the brownie will firm as it cools).
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely in the pan, at least 3.
- hours or up to overnight.
- TO SERVE:.
- Using the edges of the foil as handles, lift the brownie slab onto a cutting board.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the brownies straight down through the shortbread into 1-1/2-inch squares.
- STORAGE:.
- Return the bars to the pan, cover with aluminum foil, sealing the.
- foil around the edges of the pan, and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 131, Fat 7.8, SaturatedFat 3.5, Cholesterol 29.1, Sodium 32.7, Carbohydrate 13.8, Fiber 0.6, Sugar 8, Protein 1.9
HEAVENLY SHORTBREAD
Very easy to make and delicious.
Provided by Mazie
Categories Shortbread Cookies
Yield 36
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
- Cream softened butter thoroughly. ( If using margarine, add four drops of butter flavoring.) Slowly add sugar.
- Sift flour and corn starch before adding. Mix well. Press into an ungreased jelly roll pan 11 x 15 x 1 1/2 inches.
- Bake 30 minutes or until very light brown. Score and cut while warm.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 163 calories, Carbohydrate 16.3 g, Cholesterol 27.1 mg, Fat 10.4 g, Fiber 0.4 g, Protein 1.5 g, SaturatedFat 6.5 g, Sodium 72.9 mg, Sugar 5.6 g
Tips:
- Use cold butter: This will help create a flaky and crumbly texture. You can also freeze your butter for 30 minutes before grating it, which will make it even easier to work with.
- Don't overwork the dough: Overworking the dough will make your shortbread tough. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
- Chill the dough before baking: This will help prevent the shortbread from spreading too much in the oven.
- Bake the shortbread at a low temperature: This will help prevent the shortbread from browning too quickly and ensure that it cooks evenly throughout.
- Don't over-bake the shortbread: Over-baking the shortbread will make it dry and crumbly. Bake just until the edges are golden brown.
- Let the shortbread cool completely before cutting it: This will help prevent the shortbread from crumbling.
Conclusion:
Shortbread is a simple but delicious treat that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With its buttery flavor and crumbly texture, shortbread is perfect for any occasion. Whether you're serving it at a tea party or enjoying it as a snack, shortbread is sure to please. So next time you're looking for a sweet treat, give shortbread a try. You won't be disappointed!
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