Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Food

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar and vanilla with spoon. Stir in flour. (If dough is crumbly, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened.)
• Roll dough 1/2 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into small shapes by hand or use cookie cutters. Place 1/2 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until set and bottoms are light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted; stir until smooth. Dip half of each cooled cookie into melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper until chocolate is set.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar, add flour and vanilla.
• Pinch of 1/2" balls of dough, roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet.
• Use the tines of a fork to flatten cookies.
• Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes.
• Remove from baking sheet, cool 10-15 minutes.
• Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate.
• Chill to set chocolate.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Make Classic Shortbread dough. Slice into strips, then dip in melted bittersweet chocolate and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.
• Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place hazelnuts on baking sheet. Bake until they're a shade darker and fragrant, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
• Lower oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place hazelnuts in blender or food processor and pulse to coarse bits; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt to blend; set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until smooth. Beat in egg. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add the chopped hazelnuts and mix until distributed evenly throughout.
• Form into long cookies and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake until firm, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on racks.
• In a saucepan over lowest heat or in a double boiler, melt chocolate. Dip 1 end of cooled cookies into melted chocolate. Place back on cookie sheet to harden.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED BROWN SUGAR SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven.
• Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed just until the butter and sugar are combined so you don't whip a lot of air into it. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix just until the dough comes together.
• Scoop out 1-ounce pieces of dough (about a tablespoon), roll each one into a ball, then roll it into a 2 1/2-inch-long log. Place the logs 2 inches apart on two sheet pans lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the cookies start to brown around the edges and spring back when lightly touched. Set aside to cool on the pans.
• For the coating, place the chocolate and the butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture vigorously and continue to microwave in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted.
• Drag half of the rounded top of each cookie through the chocolate and place it, chocolate side up, on a piece of parchment paper. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle on the pecans. Repeat with all the cookies. Set aside for at least 30 minutes for the chocolate to firm.

EASY DOUBLE-DIPPED CHOCOLATE AND NUT SHORTBREAD LOGS

Steps:

• Set oven to 325°.
• Lightly grease cookie/baking sheets.
• In a bowl cream butter, vanilla and icing sugar for about 5 minutes until very fluffy (beat no less than 5 minutes!).
• Mix in flour and pinch of salt (if you are using salted butter, omit salt) mix till combined.
• Stir in 1 cup mini chocolate chips.
• Gather up about 1-1/2 tablespoons dough and shape into about 2 x 1/2-inch logs (or you can make them into larger size if desired).
• Place on cookie sheets about 1-1/2-inches apart.
• Bake for about 10-14 minutes or until the logs are firm.
• Let cookies cool COMPLETELY in the pan before removing them to a rack (they will break if moved when warm!).
• In a microwave or a double boiler melt the remaining 2 cups mini chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons Crisco shortening until smooth.
• Dip one end in the chocolate then into the chopped nuts.
• Holding the cookie in the middle, repeat with the other end of the cookie.
• Place on waxed paper to set.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until combined. On slow speed, beat in flour and salt until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill until very firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/8 inch thick. Cut out hearts,or the cutter of your choice, with a 2-inch cutter. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 300F with rack in center. Press the tines of a fork into each cookie to make designs. Bake until just beginning to brown around the edges, about 19 minutes. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for about 5 days.
• Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, on the top of a double boiler, over 1-inch of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Stir in the oil. Dip half or one-third of each cookie into the chocolate mixture. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to dry, or place them on parchment paper in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Serve.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 170C (fan forced) about 185/190C for conventional.
• Cream butter and caster sugar together until fluffy.
• Toss in the flour, baking powder and vanilla essence and mix till combined.
• Place spoonfulls of mixture onto a lined baking tray and lightly press with a fork to flatten a little if you like.
• Bake in oven fir 15 to 20 minutes (my friend set hers for 12 minutes and kept a check from then - her oven tends to be hot - and reconed they were perfect at 16 to 18 minutes - won't disagree with her on that).
• Allow to cool and then drizzle over with the melted chocolate of choice.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED SHORTBREAD FINGERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F
• Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugars and salt for about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla.
• Reduce speed and add flour in 3 additions, beating just until blended. Stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.
• Transfer dough to an ungreased 13-by-9-inch baking pan.
• Press dough evenly on bottom of pan with your fingers.
• Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes; do not underbake.
• Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Cut shortbread in pan, lengthwise and crosswise into quarters, then lengthwise into 32 rectangles.
• Let cool in pan.
• Melt remaining chocolate and oil in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth.
• Dip half of each cookie into chocolate; place on wax paper.
• Let stand until chocolate is set.
• (Cookies may be made up to 4 days ahead and stored, tightly wrapped, at room temperature.).

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD FINGERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk for about 5 mins until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat again until fully incorporated.
• Sift in the flour, cornflour and baking powder, and fold into the mixture using a spatula until combined (the dough should have a tacky consistency). Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star-shaped nozzle. If all the mixture doesn't fit, do it in 2 batches.
• Pipe 10cm long, 1.5cm wide fingers onto the baking sheets, making sure there are 3cm spaces between each finger. Bake for 8-10 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through the cooking time, until pale golden and cooked through. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for a few mins, then transfer to wire racks.
• Melt the chocolate separately over a pan of gently simmering water (making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water) or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring every 15 secs or so. Dip 1 end of the shortbread fingers into the bowl of milk chocolate and the other end in the white chocolate. Leave to set on baking parchment before serving.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt at medium speed just until smooth. Add flour and mix at low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and shape into 2 disks.
• On lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 piece dough to 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Using fluted pastry wheel or large knife, cut into 2- by 1-inch rectangles. Transfer cookies to baking sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Prick each cookie several times with tines of fork, then chill 10 minutes. Bake until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely.
• To decorate: Line baking sheet with clean parchment or wax paper. In medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, melt half chocolate. Add remaining chocolate, remove bowl from heat, and stir occasionally until smooth. Pour into small bowl.
• Dip each cookie halfway into chocolate, let excess drip off, and place on baking sheet. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. Store in airtight container at room temperature. (Do not refrigerate.)