Shortbread Hearts for the Valentines!

                                                                       Foodgawked, Tastespotted       

For me, cookie dough is a kid's play-doh. The more the creative, more the products. More the interest, more the ways to dress 'em up
Some name them, sexy. Some, romantic ; a few, delectable.
 I love semi-formals or smart casuals when it comes to clothing. Enterprising ladies and gentlemen dressed in semi-formals.  My mind relates these choco-dipped cookies to them.

Most of you would have heard about shortbread. Scottish in origin, this is a kind of biscuit which is baked traditionally using one part of white sugar, two parts of butter and three parts of flour; all by weight. No chemical leavening agents such as baking powder or soda get into this.

Anyway, now that it's much looked forward Valentines week, we should be talking about hearts, roses, love, beauty, fragrance and whatever related to it :)

Shortbread Cookies
From- Joy of baking
Bakes 25 hearts


You Need:

1 cup all-purpose flour

A fat pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar

1/2 teaspoon  pure vanilla extract


For Chocolate Dipped Shortbreads:

3 ounces (90 grams) semi sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate, finely chopped




How to make:






In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy or for a minute. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch (.6 cm) thick circle. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. (This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.) Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

For Chocolate Dipped Shortbreads: Place 1.5 ounces (45 grams) of the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat. Add the remaining chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until it has completely melted and is smooth and glossy. Taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once all the cookies have been dipped in the chocolate, place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.

Shortbread cookies with keep in an airtight container for about a week or they can be frozen.

Stephanie is again there with the video and the elaborations, if you might need a look upon.

                                                                To the Valentines of the world

                                                                                        Love twice in your lifetime. 

                                                                                              Now.  And for ever!

Tweet

Pin It