Over the past few nights, we have been making shortbread cookies. I will admit, I am a drop cookie baker, the easier the cookie the better. Last year, Jeff and I took some baking classes and I can honestly say, I have come to master the rolling pin. I am no longer fearful of rolling out dough as I have learned the tricks of the trade from making the dough, proper refrigeration and rolling of the dough.
Kate, Jeff's daughter, and I started with Jen's Shortbread Cookie recipe (see below) from the holidays. Everyone enjoyed the sweet buttery cookie that held up as a great shortbread cut-out. After we were done making the shortbread hearts (we used store bought icing), I decided we needed some chocolate shortbread cookies, too. I played around with a few recipes and came up with the chocolate shortbread version below. When they first came out of the oven, I tasted a hot cookie and thought, not sure if I'm going to talk about these cookies, maybe they can be the pretty cookies you don't eat.
After the cookies were cooled, I started dipping them in the dark/bittersweet chocolate combination. WOW, it's amazing what melted chocolate can do for a cookie. They were delicious! The chocolate covering melted along with the cookie. These would be perfect for coffee, tea or maybe some Triple Hot Chocolate. My son, Stephen, came home and ate three of them before he warmed up his dinner. He thought they were the best cookies he has ever eaten. (I love him!)
Today, we all took cookies into work to share with co-workers. I really would love to know what the others thought and I will ask (grill) people when they come home from work...
How did they like them?
Did they like the chocolate shortbread cookies?
Which one did they like best?
I know...I'm a pain, but I like to know if they tasted good so I can make them again or go in search of another recipe.
So, enjoy our treats and have a wonderful Valentine's Day. Hopefully, we have made some people happy.
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups of flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/4 cups of confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup of unsalted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Icing:
1 - 12 ounce bag of semi sweet chocolate (I used a combination of bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate)
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Decorative sugars
Preparation:
1. Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a medium-size bowl; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in egg, then add vanilla.
3. Beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Shape dough into a large ball and cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate 3 to 4 hours.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the ball into quarters and shape each into a slightly flattened oval.
5. Using a lightly floured board and rolling pin, roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut into shapes. Scraps can be re-rolled for more cookies.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until almost firm. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.
For icing, mix chocolate and oil in a double boiler and melt over simmering water. Dip cookies and use sugars to decorate.
