Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies
This recipe calls for:
3/4 lb. unsalted butter, which is 3 sticks. I only had 2 sticks unsalted, so I used them plus 1 stick regular. I omitted the salt called for, which turned out to be a great balance.
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Cup sugar
3 1/2 Cups flour
That's it! I think the best part about this recipe so far is that it's super basic, and for moms, egg free!! This would be a great kid-friendly recipe because they can put as much raw dough in their mouths as they want without salmonella risk.
Although the written directions call for a much more complicated process, the video that Food Network graciously attached show Contessa literally dumping all of the ingredients into her KitchenAid at once. This was the method I used. (More on why the most important tool in my kitchen is my KitchenAid later.)
So, I started with my butter. I softened it in the microwave, using 5-7 second intervals at half power. Once butter melts, the oil and the cream separate, and it totally loses its consistency. It is very important, especially when baking, to not MELT butter, but instead SOFTEN it. When using a stand mixer, it's possible to not use completely softened butter, though it sometimes makes it more difficult for recipes come together. This time, I did not soften my butter completely, and you'll see what it ended up looking like.
So, first: butter!
As you can see, I started to smush the butter with my mixer. Then I added the sugar and vanilla.
And finally, the flour.
Then mix!
Unfortunately, because I didn't soften my butter well enough, the dough didn't come together right away, and it became crumbly:
Don't worry if this happens! I turned my mixer up one notch, and the butter eventually softened until the dough resembled scooped ice cream. It looked delicious!!
Finally, I plopped the dough down on some Saran wrap, and wrapped it up and put it in the fridge to chill while I went to buy some more Christmas lights from Lowes. Note to self: pre-lit trees are really pretty until the light strands fail, and then it takes two hours for you and your husband to pull all of the lights off. Hopefully the investment we're making in LED lights will help mitigate this problem for at least a few years...
Anyway, when I returned, I took out the cookies and began to roll them out. The trick here is to work quickly! The dough warms up quickly, and the dough sticks and falls apart as they warm. Flour your workspace, cookie cutter, and the rolling pin well. Roll to 1/2" thick, and then cut them out with your choice of cookie cutter.
However, all things considered, I was impressed by how easily these cookies came off the rolling surface. Unfortunately, they did not come off on the cookie cutter as it appears in the video, so I had to pull out the dough from around the shapes. I then collected the dough and refrigerated it until the first batch was done in the oven. Working quickly, I was able to get three roll/cut processes done before the dough got too warm to work with. Be careful not to overdo the rolling/cutting process. Each time you roll out, you add more flour to the dough, and that can make the last few cookies tough instead of chewy.
Finally, I placed the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Parchment paper is a relatively new discovery for me, but it's awesome! It's cheap, helps keep foods from sticking, and it's especially important when baking. The last sugar/shortbread cookie I tried to make stuck to the baking pan so badly that the cookies were ruined, so parchment paper has become a staple in my house.
Be careful to arrange the cookies with a small amount of baking space. I did not do that, and had a couple cookies that stuck together. Then put them in a 350* oven for 15-ish minutes:
And finally, remove from the oven when they are barely starting to brown on the edges. The thicker you rolled the dough, the more the cookies will puff as they cook. This recipe is versatile enough that you can make big puffy cookies or thinner cookies that still taste great with just an adjustment in cooking time.
Voila! These turned out deliciously! And just in time for Christmas!
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