Best 6 Lennies Special Shortbread Recipes

LENNIE'S SPECIAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Chop cold butter into chunks.
• In cuisinart fitted with metal blade, process butter with icing sugar until well creamed, about one minute; you may have to scrape down the sides.
• Add remaining ingredients and process with several on/off turns, just until dough is well mixed and begins to gather together in a ball around the blade.
• What I do now is wrap this dough in wax paper and put it in the fridge, and make up a second batch with the remaining 1/2 pound of butter (1 cup butter= 1/2 pound); I then put that dough in the fridge and proceed with the first batch I made.
• Raw dough keeps well in the fridge for several days.
• Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into small balls.
• Place on an ungreased cookie sheet (shiny is best) and flatten, using a fork dipped in icing sugar, cookie press dipped in icing sugar, or a cherry or nut (halved).
• I often put coloured sprinkles or coloured sugars on top of cookies before baking.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, watching carefully; edges should be very lightly browned.
• Yield: 40-50 cookies.

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.

MELT - IN - YOUR - MOUTH SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Drop cookies by spoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Watch that the edges don't brown too much. Cool on wire racks.

LEMON SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Beat butter, sugars and salt until blended; beat in lemon zest. Gradually beat in flour. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Let dough stand at room temperature 5-10 minutes to soften slightly. , Preheat oven to 325°. Roll each portion of dough between two pieces of waxed paper to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut dough with a floured 1-1/2-in. heart-shaped or other cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets., Bake until bottoms are lightly browned, 7-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., For glaze, mix confectioners' sugar, lemon peel and lemon juice until smooth; spread over cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar.

SUPER-EASY SHORTBREAD (3 INGREDIENTS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°.
• Cream butter and sugar together.
• Add flour and mix till texture is like clay.
• Press dough into ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan, prick all over with a fork, and sprinkle with sugar (tilt pan to cover the top evenly, then shake excess sugar back into the sugar canister).
• Bake for about 40-45 minutes (till very lightly browned--just golden around the edges).
• Let stand for 5 minutes, then cut into 24 squares while warm.
• Leave in pan to cool thoroughly. (Shortbread will not be crisp until cool.).
• Less easy method: Chill dough. Roll into 1-inch balls, then press balls to about 1/4-inch thickness on ungreased cookie sheets with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar (sometimes you can find a glass with a pretty design on the bottom, like a star). Bake at 300° for about 20-25 minutes (until edges are very lightly browned).
• Least easy method: Chill dough. Roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness, sprinkle with sugar, then cut with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 300° for about 20-25 minutes (until edges are very lightly browned).
• Variation: Add 2 tablespoons dried lavender to the creamed butter and sugar before adding flour. It may sound strange, but the flavor is subtle and elegant. Food-grade lavender is usually available in herb bins at health food stores, and I recently found it at a great price from Atlantic Spice online (their Lavender #1).
• Variation: After cutting shortbread into squares (it will still be warm), scatter 1 cup of chocolate chips over the top, let the chocolate soften completely, then spread as a thin layer and let cool completely before removing from pan. (No need to sprinkle shortbread with sugar before baking if you plan to do this.).
• Variation: Stir 1 cup chocolate chips or butterscotch chips into the dough before pressing into pan. You can also try melting the butterscotch over the top, as above. In England, you'll find "caramel shortbread," which has a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate on top of the shortbread. It's wonderful (of course!). I've tried various ways of doing this and various kinds of caramel, but it's been a while and I don't remember what works best. It can be tricky not to make a mess!

LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in lemon zest and vanilla. Combine the flour, cornstarch, nutmeg, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. (Dough will be crumbly.) Shape into a ball., On a lightly floured surface, press dough to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 1-in. fluted cookie cutter; place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick cookies with a fork. Reroll scraps if desired. , Bake until firm, 12-15 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely. , Combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice; drizzle over cookies. Store in an airtight container.