JOY OF BAKING’S PECAN SHORTBREADS

This is a delicious recipe – not too sweet, delicately butter-tender and crunchy at the same time. The brown sugar and pecans impart a sweet, caramel flavor to the cookie. I thought of drizzling caramel and chocolate over the tops, but decided against it, as I may use these as a base for a cheesecake crust.


If you make these, be sure to space them at least 1” apart, preferably 2”, because they do spread a little. Joy of Baking says this recipe yields about 36 cookies, but I got 33, using 2-1/2” cutters. The finished cookie measured 2-3/4”, and I baked them about 17 minutes. Next time, though, I’ll only bake them 15 minutes.

Joy of Baking’s Pecan Shortbreads Source: Joy of Baking Rating: 9 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 2/3 cup light brown sugar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt 1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped In bowl of stand mixer, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy (2-3 minutes), or beat with a hand mixer. Beat in vanilla; scrape sides of bowl; add flour and salt, and stir till barely incorporated, then stir in nuts. Divide dough in half; wrap each half in plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm (at least 1 hour). Heat oven to 350F (325F for dark or coated pans). Place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Remove 1/2 of dough from fridge and roll into 1/4” thick circle on lightly floured board. Cut out desired shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets; refrigerate 10 minutes to firm up dough. Roll and cut out remaining cookies. Bake 13-15 minutes, or till shortbreads are golden brown. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Store at room temperature for about 1 week, or freeze. Yield: 33-36 cookies, depending on size.

BON APPETIT’S CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES

The photos of this cookie in the December 2009 issue of Bon Appetit screamed out at me. Not only did the cookie look appetizing and delectable, but also the recipe sounded easy and delicious. And I already had a package of candy canes in my cupboard and all the other ingredients to make these. For the dark chocolate, I used a 3.5 oz. bar of Lindt Excellence Intense Dark 70% cacao plus 2.5 oz. of Nestle Chocolatier 53% cacao dark chocolate chips. I also had a bar of Ghiradelli white chocolate, and I used that, even though it wasn’t on Bon Appetit’s recommended list. My kitchen scale came in handy, ensuring I got the exact amount I needed of each ingredient.

I heartily recommend this cookie. It lived up to every one of my expectations. The tender and flavorful thin shortbread crust combines perfectly with dark chocolate, chopped peppermint candy canes, and white chocolate. The sweet complex flavors and textures of this cookie invite you to taste and then devour it. One caveat: You must not mind the little pieces of chopped candy cane. They bothered my hubby, but I adored them. I have a feeling my hubby will be in the minority on this one, because IMHO, this is one fantastic holiday recipe to keep, cherish and make again and again.

Bon Appetit’s Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies Source: Bon Appetit Magazine, December 2009 issue Rating: 10 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 large egg yolk 6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies or candy canes (about 3 oz.) 2 oz. high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina) Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan* with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9”-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer**, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork. Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes***. Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over. Stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering (not boiling) water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes****. Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in refrigerator in airtight containers between layers of waxed paper or parchment paper. ) Yield will depend on how the cookies are cut. VARIATION: Sprinkle the melted dark chocolate with chopped peanut brittle or peanut butter cups instead of the peppermint candies. NOTES: *I used a brownie pan. **I used my heavy-duty Kitchen Aid stand mixer, which I believe overbeat the dough. It puffed up and wrinkled in the pan, then deflated; but the shortbread was still fabulous. Next time, I will beat the mixture less and use 325F as my oven temperature. ***My cookie was done in 20 minutes, leading me to believe the oven temperature was too high. My pan was dark and coated and I think 325F would have worked better. ****After one hour, chocolate was still soft. I had to put the cookie in the fridge to get it to set.

COCONUT-PECAN SHORTBREAD HEARTS

The nice people at the Pecan Store, 1625 E. Sahuarita Road, Sahuarita, Arizona, sent me a half-pound bag of their halved pecans to sample. This was like sending an egg to a chicken, because North Carolina has lots of pecan trees, and delicious pecans abound in our stores. In fact, there's a nice gentleman at our local farmer's market that sells young pecans from his trees that are unbelievably delicious. I also buy young pecans from Sam's Club that are very high quality and low in price. But, always up for something new, I decided to try the Pecan Store's pecans to see if they were better. I tasted them plain, toasted and in baked goods. While I can't say that they were any better than what I can get here, I will say their brochure is interesting. The Pecan Store sells all kinds of pecan goodies, and they ship. They have bread mixes, BBQ sauce, honey butters, hot sauce, salsas, relishes, jams, jellies and mustards. Check out the Pecan Store's website for a complete list of sale items.

In the meantime, here's an experimental dessert I made with their pecans. These coconut-pecan shortbread hearts are delicious. Not overly sweet, they have a delightful coconut taste which complements the toasted pecans. The chocolate drizzle takes them over the top. Bake them till golden brown for a nice crispness. (Coconut flour is available in most grocery stores, in the health food section. Bob's Red Mill produces a nice small bag which stores in the freezer quite well. Extra virgin unrefined coconut oil is also available at many grocery stores and there are several brands to choose from. Spectrum is one. The brand I use is Garden of Life, available from their website or through health food stores. )

(Coconut meat and flour add fiber and protein to baked goods; coconut milk and oil have numerous benefits and are considered to be stable, healthy saturated fats.) However, all desserts, even those that have been "dressed up" with healthful ingredients, should be consumed in moderation.

Coconut-Pecan Shortbread Hearts
Source: Judy's Kitchen
Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup toasted pecans
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend (or butter, if preferred)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. coconut-flavored rum (or plain rum)



Place nuts in work bowl of food processor and pulse several times to chop them. Add flour, coconut meal and brown sugar and pulse again till nuts are more finely ground. Add remaining ingredients and pulse till mixture comes together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.


Preheat oven to 350F. Place the chilled dough onto a floured surface and roll the dough 1/4" thick; cut into desired shapes; place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes, or till golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.



Make a double boiler by placing a glass or metal bowl over a pot of hot, not boiling, water. Put about 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks in the double boiler till they melt. You can spoon this into a plastic bag and snip the end off to drizzle over the cookies, or you can just drizzle from a spoon -- your call. I did the former. It's a thick drizzle, but it's delicious. I used Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips. This recipe yielded 15
cookies for me, but yield will vary according to the cookie cutter you use and thickness of dough.

CARAMEL SHORTBREAD STICKS....OR TRIANGLES

After spending the morning in Greenville shopping with Guy, I was looking for a cookie recipe that I could make quickly. This one is from Land O Lakes, and if you haven't been to their website yet, surf over to http://www.landolakes.com/ to find some really good recipes. The only complaint I have about this recipe is that it only made 16 cookies. You can get 20 if you do it their way -- in sticks instead of in triangles. But since I'm giving away the majority of my cookies, 16 means I will be putting 1 or 2 in each gift plate -- not very many. If I make these next year, I'll double the recipe and do it in a 9 x 12 pan. As for the taste -- how can you go wrong with shortbread? The buttery taste of shortbread topped with caramel and pecans is a winner.

Caramel Shortbread Sticks or Triangles

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar (I used 1/2 tsp. molasses & 2 Tbsp. sugar)

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

For topping: 30 unwrapped caramels

1 Tbsp. half and half

1/2 cup chopped pecans

(I used 1/4 cup caramel sundae sauce boiled with 1 Tbsp. butter

for the dip, and 1 cup of toasted chopped pecans.)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 325F. Combine butter and sugars in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until well mixed.

Press dough evenly into 8" square pan lined with aluminum foil (I used parchment and had it hang over the edge slightly so I could pick it up.); prick with tines of fork every 1/2 inch. (I lightly scored the dough the way I was going to cut it after it was baked: first in 4 squares, then each square in 4 triangles, making 16 triangles, as in the top photo above. I pricked each triangle 3 times at the broad base.) Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Lift cookies from pan immediately using the aluminum foil or parchment ends. Cut into 20 sticks, approximately 4 x 1/2 inch, or into 16 triangles. Cool completely on wire rack.

Place caramels and half and half in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high, stirring twice, until caramels are melted (1-2 minutes). Dip ends of shortbread sticks into melted caramel mixture; roll in pecans. Place onto waxed paper; let stand till set. (Or you can boil the caramel sauce and butter for a few minutes and dip cookies into that. And they will set quickly if you place them on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes.)