Shortbread Meltaways Recipes

EASY BASIC SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-by-1-inch baking pan, and line bottom with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add salt and vanilla, and beat to combine. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed until just combined.
• Press dough into prepared pan, leveling and smoothing the top. Using a dough scraper or the back of a knife, cut dough lengthwise into nine strips, each slightly less than 1 inch wide. Cut the strips crosswise into thirty-six 3-inch bars. Using the tines of a fork or a wooden skewer, create a decorative pattern on the surface.
• Bake shortbread until evenly pale golden, but not browned, 70 to 85 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Invert pan, and remove parchment. Turn shortbread over, and carefully break, or cut with a serrated knife, into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD 101

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with rack in upper third. Sift flour and salt into a bowl; set aside. Put butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl. Gradually add sugar; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined.
• Butter a 10-inch round springform or cake pan. Using plastic wrap, press dough evenly into pan. With plastic on dough, refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Cut dough into 8 wedges with a paring knife. Using a wooden skewer, prick all over at 1/4-inch intervals.
• Bake until golden brown and firm in center, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack. Recut shortbread into wedges; let cool completely in pan. Can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Wisk together flour and salt. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and continue to beat until pale and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of bowl, about 2 minutes more. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed, scraping sides if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
• Turn out dough, forming into 2 disks; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out 1 disk to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes using desired cookie cutter, and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Reroll scraps. Repeat with remaining disk. Indent cookies with desired stamps. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Bake until firm and golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

SHORTBREAD MELTAWAYS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat butter, icing sugar and vanilla until creamy.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt;stir half into butter mixture.
• Stir in toffee bits and remaining flour mixture.
• Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and place on prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
• Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
• Let cool on pan for about 5 minutes and dust with more icing sugar, if desired.

MELTAWAY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream margarine, shortening and sugar, then add flour; whirl coconut in food processor, scrape down container and whirl again; add to flour mixture and blend well.
• Place two 16-inch lengths of plastic wrap on flat counter and spoon half of dough along the lengthwise center of each piece of plastic; fold edges of plastic over dough and shape into a"log" a little larger than the diameter of a golf ball; fold plastic wrap ends under and chill in refrigerator until firm.
• When dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375° and slice rounds/discs of dough approximately 1/4-inch thick; arrange on non-stick cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until lightly browned.
• Remove from baking sheet and immediately place in confectioners' sugar, cover both sides of cookie, shake off excess, then place sugar coated cookies on a wire rack to cool; the cookies are very tender when they are warm and will break easily.
• When cookies are completely cool, coat in confectioners' sugar a second time then store in a cool place.