Chocolate Dipped Shortbread

Hey y’all!! I hope y’all are as inspired to make this year’s Holidays handmade as I am! Between the amazing non sewing gift ideas on Kelly’s blog and the truly fantastic Sewn gift ideas over on Cindy’s blog and THEN all the delicious treats that the amazing bloggers featured here have been sharing; I’m ready to get started!

Today’s featured Baker is Shaina from Food For My Family:

One of my favorite cookies to bake as a gift is shortbread. While I tend to do a lot of holiday baking, so much of it is intricate and time consuming. Shortbread is the one thing that can get tossed together in a hurry or done in mass quantities with very little extra effort. Plus, a bit of chocolate on the edges, a sprinkle or two of sanding sugar or nonpareils and they look like you’ve spent all the time.

This year I added Orange Gingered Shortbread to my cookie tins and boxes and the response was nothing but positive. In fact, I had more than one person tell me the shortbread was their favorite. For something that takes me a third of the time of the other varieties, I’ll definitely be adding this versatile cookie to my holiday baking list.

Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup extra fine sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces dark chocolate

Method

Preheat oven to 325° F. Line the bottom of an 8″ cake pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer beat together butter, sugar and cornstarch. Mix in flour and salt. Press dough into the prepared pan. Dock and score the cookie dough using a knife and pointy object (I used the end of a chopstick).

Bake at 325° F for 35 to 40 minutes, just until edges start to turn a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. You can place in the refrigerator to accelerate this process once the pan has cooled. Cut into triangles.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Dip the tips of the triangles into the chocolate. Allow to dry on waxed paper until set. Package and gift.

Makes 12 cookies.

Variations

• add 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts to the dough. Shape dough into a rectangular log and refrigerate until firm. Slice into cookies. Bake for 25 minutes and dip as above.
• Add 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries and orange zest from 1 orange to the dough. Roll out dough and cut into shapes. Bake for 25 minutes.
• Orange-Gingered Shortbread on Food for My Family
• Make up your own! Add your favorites nuts and candies, dip or don’t, sprinkle or shake. Add a personal touch to your cookies.

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Meet Shaina:

Shaina Olmanson is the home cook and photographer behind Food for My Family, where she shares recipes, tips, opinions and her philosophy on food as she strives to teach her four children how to eat well: seasonally, locally, organically, deliciously and balanced.