Category: Shortbread

Brooklyn Blackout Mint Shortbread

12/19/2018

Yield: about 60 2” cookies

Dough Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ tsp peppermint extract
¼ cup + 1 tbsp black cocoa (i use King Arthur)*
½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Icing Ingredients:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
5-6 tbsp water
4 tsp meringue powder (optional. i like Wilton)*
crushed candy canes for sprinkling*

Method:

Preheat oven to 325°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mat.
Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, vanilla and salt on medium speed until well blended. scrape down sides of the bowl as needed.
Stir in both cocoas, pulsing so you don't end up in a cocoa dust cloud, until just incorporated. add flour and mix just until blended, being careful not to over-mix Dough should be firm and hold together well, but should no longer be sticky. You may need to adjust flour quantity.
Divide dough in thirds and place each third on a sheet of wax paper. form into a flat disc. Cover disc with another sheet of wax paper, sandwiching dough between the two sheets.
Roll out to a 1/4" thickness, smoothing any creases that develop in wax paper.
Peel away & replace one sheet of wax paper (this will prevent dough from sticking when cutting cookies, and keep work surface clean). Flip entire "sandwich" over & remove top sheet of wax paper, leaving bottom sheet in place.
Press cookie cutter into dough. place cutouts on baking sheet, 1" apart.
Roll out scraps & repeat, until all dough is used up. you may need to refrigerate the rolled out scraps if they become to warm & sticky. Repeat these steps with the other discs.
sprinkle cutouts with coarse salt
Bake in a preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, front to back, top to bottom. Cookies are done when they look dry and finely crackled, and a slight depression remains when lightly pressed.
Cool for 5-7 minutes on baking sheets, until sturdy enough to handle with a spatula. if you rush this, cookies may break. Place on wire racks to cool completely.
Combine powdered sugar, salt (& meringue powder if using) and water and stir until smooth. Drizzle, pipe or spread icing over completely cooled cookies.
while icing is still wet, add crushed candy cane topping.
allow to dry for several hours before putting in airtight container.
Store cookies airtight at room temperature for 5-7 days. They're still fine after that, but will just start to dry out. (if there are any left!)

*some tips:

black cocoa — if you don't have access to this oreo-like wonder, you can substitute natural cocoa. But i HIGHLY recommend you make the effort to get it.
meringue powder in icing — use if you want icing to firm up completely, which is a good idea for presentation purposes if you plan to pack/gift them
crushed candy canes — for years i used the crush-in-ziploc-bag method and no matter how neat i tried to be, i found little sticky shards all over my kitchen for weeks. this year i used a food processor. so much easier and neater! and no need to freeze the candy canes, as i read many places online. just pulse till you get the size pieces you'd like.

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edible flower shortbread

10/6/2018

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I have been growing nasturtium, an edible plant, for several years now. This year I planted a bunch of new edible flowers in my garden: bachelor buttons, gem marigolds, bright lights cosmos, and chamomile. I always save the seed packets so I can identify new plants once (if!) they pop up. Well somehow I lost one particular seed packet, so all summer I assumed the pretty plants with scalloped leaves and purple flowers were just pretty weeds. In fact so many started popping up that I almost pulled them, fearing they were too invasive!

Anyway, I was recently at an event at Feedfeed where they had created a fantastic edible flower/herb table-scape, and recognized my mystery plant! Turns out it’s called 'Lavender Hyssop.' It’s a perennial in the mint family, and has the most delicate licorice scent & flavor. What’s interesting is that it tastes slightly sweet. So it’s wonderful added to salads, or as a cocktail garnish. Traditionally it’s used to make tea & sachets...and commercially to flavor root beer and liqueurs. Seeds are mainly from Botanical Interests.

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Chocfetti Shortbread

10/6/2018

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Yield: About 3 dozen 2.5" cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/8 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sprinkles (quantity can be adjusted to taste)
extra sugar for sprinkling
coarse sea salt for sprinkling

You will also need:
Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
wax paper
fork

Method:

Preheat oven to 325°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mat.
Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and salt on medium speed until well blended.
Stir in flour just until incorporated and smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Do not over mix. Dough should be firm and hold together well, but should no longer be sticky. It should easily fall away from sides of bowl and paddle. You may need to adjust flour quantity.
Stir in sprinkles. stir just a few seconds until incorporated. Again, do not over mix.
Divide dough in thirds and place each quarter on a sheet of wax paper. form into a flat disc. Cover disc with another sheet of wax paper, sandwiching the dough between the two sheets.
Roll out to a 3/8" thickness, smoothing any creases that develop in wax paper.
Peel away & replace one sheet of wax paper (this will prevent dough from sticking when cutting cookies, and keep work surface clean). flip "sandwich" over & remove top sheet of wax paper, leaving bottom sheet in place.
Press cookie cutter into dough & pierce with a fork 1-3 times, depending on size and shape of cookie. place cutouts on baking sheet, 1" apart.
Roll out scraps & repeat, until all dough is used up. you may need to refrigerate the rolled out scraps if they become to warm & sticky. Repeat these steps with the other discs.
sprinkle with granulated sugar and coarse salt
Bake in a preheated oven 15-20 minutes. (ovens vary) Bake until cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Cool for 3-5 minutes on baking sheets, until sturdy enough to handle with a spatula. if you rush this cookies may break. Place on wire racks to cool completely.

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not so classic shortbread

10/6/2018

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Yield: About 2 dozen 2.5" cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/8 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
extra sugar for sprinkling
coarse sea salt for sprinkling

You will also need:
Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
wax paper
fork

Method:

Preheat oven to 325°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mat.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and salt on medium speed until well blended.
Stir in flour just until incorporated and smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Do not over mix. Dough should be firm and hold together well, but should no longer be sticky. It should easily fall away from sides of bowl and paddle. You may need to adjust flour quantity.
Divide dough in thirds and place each quarter on a sheet of wax paper. form into a flat disc. Cover disc with another sheet of wax paper, sandwiching the dough between the two sheets.
Roll out to a 3/8" thickness, smoothing any creases that develop in wax paper.
Peel away & replace one sheet of wax paper (this will prevent dough from sticking when cutting cookies, and keep work surface clean). flip "sandwich" over & remove top sheet of wax paper, leaving bottom sheet in place.
Press cookie cutter into dough & pierce with a fork 1-3 times, depending on size and shape of cookie. place cutouts on baking sheet, 1" apart.
Roll out scraps & repeat, until all dough is used up. you may need to refrigerate the rolled out scraps if they become to warm & sticky. Repeat these steps with the other discs.
sprinkle with granulated sugar and coarse salt
Bake in a preheated oven 15-20 minutes. (ovens vary) Bake until cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Cool for 3-5 minutes on baking sheets, until sturdy enough to handle with a spatula. if you rush this cookies may break. Place on wire racks to cool completely.

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I'm now part of the Amazon Influencer Program, which basically means you can now find a collection of my favorite baking tools all in one place! When you go to my shop, you'll see what I recommend, complete with helpful tips in the comments. I do get a small fee for any items purchased through my storefront. click the button below to access my shop, and feel free to email me with any questions!

Brooklyn Blackout Mint Shortbread

edible flower shortbread

Chocfetti Shortbread

not so classic shortbread

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