Golden Shortbread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, browned and cooled
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 
1/4 tsp. salt
Sugar for sprinkling, optional

Brown the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let cool for about 2 min., then whisk in 1 large or 2 small ice cubes; set aside to cool to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Mix flour, cooled butter, sugar, vanilla and salt on low speed using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until just blended. Mixture will look crumbly and sandy. Increase speed to medium-low until dough starts to clump together.

Remove dough and roll out to 1/4 in. thickness between two pieces of waxed paper. Chill dough for at least 20 minutes, then cut into desired shapes. Re-roll scraps, chill and repeat. Alternatively, just cut into squares or rectangles with a butter knife. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired, and bake for 20 minutes, or until just done. Let sit for about 2 minutes and then remove to racks to cool fully.

Makes about 36 2-in. cookies, more or less depending on the size of your cookie cutters.

Link to printable recipe here. 

Tips--If you are in a hurry, you can place the saucepan of browned butter in a sink of cold water to cool it more quickly. However, stir it often and don't forget about it, or it will end up solid. This is a more crumbly dough than regular shortbread, so the longer you chill it, the easier it is to work with. See my plain shortbread recipe for more tips.

Now for the BS. This might be my new favorite cookie recipe. I can't believe how good they are! The browned butter plus the brown sugar gives them the most exceptional flavor. These cookies are somehow crisp and tender at the same time. They almost melt in your mouth. I read somewhere that the best shortbread has brown sugar, and I might just agree now! It makes me want to play around more, see what happens if I change just the sugar or just the butter in my regular recipe. Stay tuned...

Espresso-Chocolate Chip Shortbread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks (1 cup) butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar 
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tsp. espresso powder, divided
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Dissolve 2 tsp. of espresso powder in 1 tbsp. hot water; set aside. Mix flour, butter, sugar and salt on low speed using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until just blended. Mixture will look crumbly and sandy. Add dissolved coffee and vanilla and blend for about 30 seconds. Add last tsp. of espresso powder and chocolate chips and slowly increase speed to medium-low, blending until dough starts to clump together. 

Remove dough and roll out to about 1/4 in. thickness between two pieces of waxed paper. Chill dough for at least 10 minutes, then cut into desired shapes. Re-roll scraps, chill and repeat. Alternatively, just cut into squares or rectangles with a butter knife. Bake for 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Bake until edges and bottoms are just golden. Let sit for about 2 minutes and then remove to racks to cool fully.

Makes about 54 1 1/2-in. cookies, more or less depending on the size of your cookie cutters.

Link to printable version here.

Recipe adapted from my shortbread recipe and https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/12/espresso-chocolate-shortbread-cookies/

Tips--The coffee flavor isn't crazy strong, but you can absolutely omit the espresso powder and just call them Chocolate Chip Shortbread. See tips for rolling out dough from my regular shortbread recipe. If you don't have mini chocolate chips, you can finely chop a 4 oz. semisweet chocolate bar. Let these cool fully for best flavor and texture.

Now for the BS. If you like coffee and chocolate, shortbread is the perfect vehicle! Some recipes tell you to prick the surface of the shortbread with a fork before baking to prevent bubbling and to release steam, but when the dough is rolled out like this, it doesn't bubble. I also don't find any difference in the texture, and I've tried it both ways. Some recipes have you press the shortbread into a baking pan and cut after baking, but I've found cutting the dough first gives the edges that perfect crunch you just don't get in a bar cookie. It really doesn't take that much more time to cut the dough first, but the crisp, buttery edges are worth it. The smaller the cookies are, the more crisp they are.

Simple, Perfect Shortbread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks (1 cup) butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Sugar for sprinkling, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Mix flour, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt on low speed using a stand mixer until just blended. Mixture will look crumbly and sandy. Increase speed to medium-low until dough starts to clump together.

Remove dough and roll out to 1/4 in. thickness between two pieces of waxed paper. Chill dough for at least 10 minutes, then cut into desired shapes. Re-roll scraps, chill and repeat. Alternatively, just cut into squares or rectangles with a butter knife. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired, and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Let sit for about 2 minutes and then remove to racks to cool fully.

Makes about 36 2-in. cookies, more or less depending on the size of your cookie cutters.

Link to printable version here.

Recipe adapted from an old Better Homes and Gardens Magazine (see photo at end).

Tips--If you don't have waxed paper, you can use parchment or even plastic wrap. Put the rolled out dough on a cutting board to make it easier to get in and out of the fridge. Two pencils or two wooden spoon handles on either side of your covered dough makes it easy to get a consistent thickness. Here is an excellent short video showing this rolling method. If you are in a hurry, you can freeze the dough for 5 minutes to hasten the process. You can also make and roll the dough out one day and bake it later in the week. It keeps well in the fridge for several days.

Now for the BS. The original recipe calls for cold butter, but I've found it mixes up much faster and more easily if you start with room temp better and then chill the dough after rolling. Chilled dough spreads less and holds its shape better, so don't skip the chilling!  Some shortbread recipes use powdered sugar, but I've found I prefer the extra crunch that comes from granulated sugar. This is another recipe I have made for years. It is fast and easy, but it tastes like something that took hours of time and effort. One of my kids' teachers said I need to go into business! They are that good. I gave up my old favorite sugar cookie recipe and now use this for all of the holidays. They make perfect snowflakes, hearts, shamrocks, etc.  

Traditional Cream Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup half-and-half, cream or the whey from your Devonshire cream
Optional glaze: half-and-half or cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper OR a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, two butter knives or your fingers. The mixture will be crumbly. In a small measuring cup, stir together the half-and-half or cream and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix. Alternatively (my preferred method), add all dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse. Add the butter and pulse until mixture is evenly crumbly. Slowly add the cream through the food processor chute, pulsing to combine.  Pulse just until the dough forms a large ball.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, knead gently a few times and then pat into an 8-in. circle. Cut the circle into 8 even wedges. Alternately, use a 2 1/2-in. round biscuit cutter to cut the dough into rounds. Re-roll/pat out the scraps as needed. Place the wedges or rounds on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing a few inches apart. Optional: brush the tops of the scones with a little cream.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until nicely browned. Excellent served warm with Devonshire (clotted) cream and jam, or butter and honey.

Makes 8 wedges or about 10 2 1/2-in. round scones.

Click here for a printable version.

Recipe adapted from https://www.joyofbaking.com/scones.html and https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/dream-a-little-dream-of-scone/

Tips--If at all possible, make Devonshire cream first and use the whey in place of the cream. It is EXCEPTIONAL. Use the food processor to save time and don't feel guilty! Save the knife you use to cut the butter for slicing the dough into wedges. In my experience, salted and unsalted butter are nearly interchangeable, despite what "real" bakers say. Reduce the salt slightly if you use salted butter. 

Now for the BS. There is one food blogger whose BS I will happily read until the end of time, and that is Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. I have her cookbook and I refer to her recipes time and again. It was Deb who recently inspired me to try yet another scone recipe, which she adapted from America's Test Kitchen (who I also adore, especially their show on PBS). I thought, If Deb says it's good, it MUST be good. And it IS good! The primary difference between this recipe and my Perfect Cream Scones recipe is that there is no egg in this recipe. So if you or someone you love has an egg allergy, this is ideal! Also, the traditional recipe bakes at a slightly higher temp for a slightly lower time. These are the absolute best made with the whey left over from making your own Devonshire cream. They work well with regular cream or half-and-half, also. The only difference I note in the finished product is that the Perfect Cream Scones are even lighter and airier. These Traditional Cream Scones are flatter but also have crispier edges and brown really nicely, I assume due to the extra cream. I go back and forth between the two recipes, because I love them both. When I brought both kinds to Tea Friday at the library where I work, my coworkers could really not tell a difference between the two recipes. They just said both are amazing. I agree!