Tag Archives: Shortbread cookies

Coffee Toffee Shortbread Cookies

Cookies are my love language. It’s how I show my nearest and dearest that I care about them. I urge you to bake these for your loved ones. They are a decidedly adult cookie, with a very strong coffee flavour, thanks to the addition of instant coffee crystals to the dough. I used Folgers instant coffee because the coffee crystals do not dissolve in the dough and you get beautiful coffee flecks. I love to see flavour cues in my food.

I also added some chopped Skor bars to the dough. Chocolate and toffee provide a nice balance to the bitter taste of coffee. These are a simple slice and bake cookie with a very sophisticated flavour profile.

The base Shortbread recipe comes from Erin Clarkson over at Cloudy Kitchen. If you are a baker, you must follow her. Her recipes are delicious and always turn out perfectly. She is a huge proponent of baking by weight rather than volume. I would love it if this became the standard for home bakers. This is the only way to ensure consistent results. The coffee and toffee additions are my brainchild.

The addition of cornstarch to the dough contributes to these cookie’s melt in the mouth texture.

Because I’m not a minimalist, I dipped the baked cookies in bittersweet chocolate and then sprinkled the wet chocolate with some Skor bits. Fancy is how we roll around here at salt and serenity.

Click here to print recipe for Coffee Toffee Shortbread.

Smoked Almond Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

dipped 1cookies with jar of caramelized white chocolateI’m not going to lie. One of the reasons I wanted to make these cookies was that they gave me an excuse to buy one of these. I have always wanted a pastry docker. They look like so much fun to use. Of course the docker is not mandatory. You can always poke the dough with a fork to prevent it from puffing up. But a docker is so much more amusing. Plus, it doubles as a great back scratcher. DockingThe recipe for these comes from the brilliant mind of cookie wizard, Mindy Segal. I wrote about her book, “Cookie Love”, a few weeks ago.

I strongly urge you to bake these cookies very soon. My lame-ass description of these cookies can’t possibly live up to just how delicious they are. A filling of caramelized white chocolate buttercream and raspberry jam is sandwiched between two smoked almond shortbread cookies. To further embellish them, Mindy asks us to dip them  into bittersweet chocolate. I have learned to do exactly what Mindy tells me to. She has yet to lead me astray. circle 625 sqIf you are a passionate cookie person, you owe it to yourself, and your loved ones, to make these cookies. Admittedly, in typical Mindy style, there are a few recipes required to produce these cookies, but you can spread the work out over 2 days if you like.

Start with the dough. You will need to grind salted smoked almonds with some all purpose flour in the food processor.Cookie IngredientsGround almonds and flourDo yourself a favour and roll out dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper while the dough is still soft. Then, chill dough and cut into shapes.Cookie Dough 1Divide dough into 2I drew a rectangle on my parchment paper, so I would know exactly how much to roll it out. rolling dough 1
rolling dough 2cutting cookies into squaresThe caramelized white chocolate filling begins with roasting good quality white chocolate in the oven for about 20 minutes. Give it a stir and continue roasting and stirring until it looks like peanut butter. You can buy caramelized white chocolate if you wish to save some time. White ChocolateCaramelizing 1Caramelizing 2Caramelizing 3About 1/4 cup of the caramelized white chocolate is incorporated into a butter and icing sugar frosting. To make your life easier, put frosting into a piping bag, fitted with a round tip. Mindy also gives a recipe for making your own raspberry preserves, but I decided to use a good quality store bought raspberry jam.

Start by piping a W on half the cookies. Piping buttercream 1Piping buttercream closeupDollop on a scant spoonful of raspberry jam and swirl with the buttercream. Raspberry jamjam closeupswirling jamTop each frosted cookie with a lid and chill just until filling firms up. Then dip in chocolate and chill to set the chocolate. dipping

Click here to print recipe for Smoked Almond Shortbread Sandwich Cookies. Smoked Almond Shortbread Sandwich Cookies.

rectangle

broken cookie

 

On the third night of Chanukah: Macadamia Coconut White Chocolate Shortbread

On the third night of Chanukah I baked Macadamia Coconut White Chocolate Shortbread cookies for my true love. cookies and milk for the kidsThis is a Martha Stewart recipe, from her lovely Cookie Book. Her recipe used coconut and macadamia nuts, but I added white chocolate to mine. These tropical shortbread cookies are buttery and crumbly, everything a good shortbread cookie should be.

Certain foods just belong together. I learned about the magic combination of white chocolate and macadamia nuts many years ago when I worked at The David Wood Food Shop in Toronto. I was pregnant at the time and consumed a very large quantity of pastry chef Daphna Rabinovich’s Macadamia and White Chocolate Chip Cookieswhat you'll need

mixing doughI find it much easier to roll out the dough right after I make it, before chilling. Roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper. Then stick it in the freezer for about 30 minutes before cutting it into shapes. rolling dough between 2 sheets of parchmentI love these fluted square cookie cutters. They remind me of Nice cookies from my childhood. cookie cutters

Click here to print recipe for Coconut Macadamia White Chocolate Shortbread.

cooling 625sq