Pistachio Chocolate Chip Shortbread

No chilling required for these delicately sweet and a little bit salty shortbread cookies. Just roll the dough in balls, flatten and bake.

Ingredients:

1 cup salted butter, cold cubed

3/4 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped salted pistachios

 

Preheat oven to 325°F and line cookie sheets with parchment.

Place the cubed butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Start slowly so the sugar doesn't fly all over the counter and start to mix together. Once combined beat for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, then the flour in 3-4 additions and mix until it forms a dough that can be held together when rolled in your hand. Fold in the chocolate chips and pistachios.

Take heaping teaspoonfuls of dough and roll them in balls. Place on lined baking sheets and flatten slightly with a flat bottom glass or measuring cup.

Bake at 325°F for 18-22 minutes.

Store in an airtight container.

Nutcracker approved!

Makes 38 cookies

Adapted from: abakingwonderland.com

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Slice and Bake Coconut Shortbread

Melt in your mouth buttery goodness with a hint of nutty coconut! A perfect teatime treat!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp almond or vanilla extract

2 pinches of salt

1 3/4 cup flour

1 cup flaked or shredded coconut + extra for sprinkling

Beat the butter in a mixer until creamy then add the sugar and continue beating until fluffy. Add the extract and salt. Then add the flour and coconut and mix until combined. Don't overmix.

Form into a 12 X 3 X 1" log. Wrap with plastic wrap and freeze 2 hours or refrigerate overnight. I slid it onto an overturned baking sheet to make it easier to move without worrying about messing up the log.

When ready to bake slice 1/3" thick cookies and place them 1" apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Sprinkle extra coconut on top of each cookie and very gently tap to adhere.

Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.

Makes 34 cookies

Adapted from: tasteofhome.com

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Shortbread Blossoms

Nothing better than tender, buttery shortbread cookies with a chocolatey center!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup butter, at room temperature

coarse coloured sugar and sprinkles

3-4 dozen Hershey kisses (I used Sugar Cookie kisses here)

Sift the cornstarch, icing sugar and flour together then blend in the butter using a pastry knife. Use your hands to finish off the blending and form a soft dough.

Shape into 1" balls, roll the side in sugar and place on parchment lined baking sheets 2" apart.

Bake at 300°F for 16-18 minutes or just barely golden on the bottom. While the cookies bake unwrap the kisses. Remove from oven and immediately press kisses lightly into the warm cookies. Cool on racks and let the chocolate melt to a puddle or pop in the fridge to set right away.

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies

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Chestnut Shortbread

Buttery and perfectly tender, this classic shortbread is further enhanced by the addition of chestnuts giving it just a subtle hint of sweet nuttiness.

I used this inherited thistle mold but you can pick up a shortbread mold on ... you guessed it, Amazon! Alternatively, the dough can be pressed into a greased square or round pan. Just score with a knife and prick with a fork before baking.

Ingredients:

1 cup semi salted butter, at room temperature

2 cups flour

3/4 cup icing sugar

1 tsp coarse sugar

3.5 oz (100 g bag) cooked, chopped chestnuts

Cream the butter and set aside for a minute.

Sift the flour, icing sugar and salt together, then add in 4 or 5 additions to the butter. Once incorporated, add the chestnuts.

The dough will be a bit crumbly.

Just knead it a couple of times with your hands and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 10 minutes.

If using a mold make a little powder puff with a piece of cheesecloth, an elastic and some icing sugar. Tap the mold with the puff to give it a little dusting. Take a portion of the cookie dough (I divided mine in 7 because it makes 7 or these 4" molds) and keep the rest refrigerated.

Gently press the dough into the mold then slice off the excess with a knife. Turn it over onto a parchment lined sheet and carefully start to release the edges with the point of a knife. The rest should fall onto the baking sheet. Dust the mold again and continue until all the dough is used.

Put the pan with the cookies in the fridge between fussing with each one so they keep their details. I just formed a rectangle cookie with the leftover dough.

Bake at 300°F for 20-25 minutes or until just barely golden.

Keep for yourself or wrap as gifts!

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Glazed Brown Sugar Shortbread

Delicate and flaky shortbread cookies to munch on!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter,

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups flour, sifted

Glaze:

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

4-5 tsps water

coloured sugar and sprinkles (optional)

In a large mixer bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy, then add 1 1/4 cups flour. Once incorporated add the remaining 3/4 cup flour and mix just until you have a soft dough.

Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or until you are able to roll it. Roll to 1/4" thick and use your favourite cutters to shape cookies.

Place the cookies 2" apart on parchment lined sheets and bake at 325°F for 8-10 minutes.

Not sure why some of the bottoms turned out like this 😕

Anyways, once the cookies are completely cooled mix up the glaze and spread on each one adding sprinkles or coloured sugar before it sets.

Makes 48 cookies, suitable for eating while card writing!

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Pistachio Lemon Glazed Shortbread

A tart lemon glaze studded with salty, roasted pistachios elevates this simple, buttery Scottish shortbread.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups flour

Topping:

3/4 cups icing sugar

1 1/2 tbsps fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/8 cup chopped pistachios, salted and roasted

Beat the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and salt together until smooth. Add the flour in 2 or 3 additions mixing just until combined. Line the bottom of a 9" round tin with parchment and press the dough in, smoothing the top. Score the top with a sharp knife making 16 wedges. Poke each wedge with a fork 2 or 3 times then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300°F then bake for 50-55 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool 5 minutes then, again with a sharp knife, cut right through the previously made score marks. Leave to cool completely in pan.

Whisk the icing sugar and lemon juice together and place in a shallow bowl. Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze (or you may want to spread it with a knife) then top with chopped pistachios. Sprinkle the nuts after each one or two wedges as the glaze will start to set quickly. Note: I had just enough glaze with this recipe for the tops of each cookie. If you need more just whip up a second batch.

They will be completely set and ready to be stored in an airtight container after 1 hour.

Spot of tea anyone?

Adapted from: seasonsandsuppers.ca

Buttery Scottish Shortbread

Traditional Scottish shortbread is crisp, crumbly and just barely sweet. Delicious in it's simplicity!

Ingredients:

2 cups salted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsps vanilla

4 cups flour, sifted

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixer bowl and beat 2 minutes until fluffy. Add the vanilla, then add the flour in 4 additions mixing until a soft dough forms.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill. The original recipe said to chill it for 1 hour but I found it too hard and had to leave it out on the counter before using it so don't chill too long. 

Line 2 - 8 X 8" baking pans with parchment leaving enough to use as "handles" later. Divide the dough in half and press each into the pans. Cover with plastic then use something flat, like this mini loaf pan, to smooth out the surface.

Score the bars about halfway through the dough and poke with a skewer or fork. Also at this point you can score the ragged edges so that once baked you will have nice clean edges on your cookies. And, oops, those cookies in the foreground didn't get smoothed out very well. Guess they'll be the "testers"!

Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven to cool for 20 minutes, leaving the oven on during this time.

Now using the parchment handles, carefully lift the whole thing out onto the counter. Using a serrated knife, and using a sawing motion, cut through the cookie score marks and place the individual cookies on a cookie sheet. 

Now turn off the oven and put the cookies back into the warm oven for 20 minutes to crisp.

Cool and store in an airtight container.

Original recipe from RockRecipes.com

Raspberry Thumbprint Shortbread Cookies

Buttery melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies should always be part of your holiday baking game plan!

Ingredients:

1 cup icing sugar

1 cup cornstarch

2 cups flour

2 cups butter

seedless raspberry jam

coconut (optional)

Sift the icing sugar, cornstarch and flour together then use a pastry blender to incorporate the butter, using your hands at the end to form into a dough.

Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 - 1.5", and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Using your thumb or a round measuring spoon like I did here, press divots into the cookie balls. Fill the divots with a small amount of jam. This baby feeding spoon was just the right size for the job!

Sprinkle some coconut on top of the jam if desired and bake at 300°F for 16 minutes.

Cool completely before storing in tins.

Makes 64 cookies