This was supposed to have been a post on spritz cookies, but the cookie press was such a pill to work with I decided to scrap the idea and start anew. I did give it my best shot, however. They didn’t turn out great, but they were edible. I sent them in with Cameron for his preschool holiday party, and all morning I worried that the kids would be judging my baking ability. That’s right, I was scared of what a bunch of four year olds were thinking. Shortbread it is! Browned butter shortbread is great- easy to work with, and super yummy. Best of all, you get to dip the ends in melted chocolate. How do you like me now, Cameron’s classmates?!
I got this recipe from Better Homes And Gardens. Browning butter is a wonderful way to add a deeper flavor to your dish. In this case, I browned 1/4 cup of the butter, let it cool slightly, and then added it to my already creamed sugar and remaining 3/4 cup butter. The browned butter gave this shortbread a very slight nutty taste. Heat your butter in a saucepan until it turns light brown in color.
After you have mixed the browned butter in with the creamed sugar/butter mixture, slowly pour in the flour. Mix until just combined.
Form the dough into a disk.
Divide it in half.
With one of the halves, press or roll the dough into a 7-inch circle.
Crimp the edges, mark it with a fork, and slice the unbaked dough into wedges, but don’t completely cut through. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Repeat with other dough circle.
Once baked, slice the wedges again, and cool on a wire rack.
Dip each end into melted chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt.
This is my view of the kitchen floor every time I bake. Mommy’s almost done, Wesley.
- 1 cup (226 g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (50 g) Sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 g) Brown Sugar, packed
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 cups (312 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 8 oz. (124 g) Semi-Sweet Chocolate
- 1 tsp. Shortening
- Fleur De Sel (optional)
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- In a small saucepan cook and stir 1/4 cup of the butter over medium heat until melted. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, without stirring, about 5 minutes or until butter turns a light golden brown. Pour into a small bowl and aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- In a bowl connected to a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the remaining 3/4 cup butter for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, brown sugar, and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and continue mixing for 3 minutes. Beat in browned butter and vanilla until combined. Set mixer speed on low and mix in the flour. Divide the dough in half.
- On each prepared cookie sheet, pat half of the dough into an 8-inch circle. Using your fingers or a fork, crimp edges of each circle. Prick every inch or so with a fork. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter mark out the shortbread into 8 wedges without cutting completely through.
- Bake separately, about 15 minutes each, or until edges are light brown, turning cookie sheet halfway through baking. Cut circles into wedges again while warm. Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer wedges to wire racks; cool.
- In a small saucepan cook and stir chocolate and shortening over low heat until melted and smooth. Once all of the shortbread has been baked and cooled, dip the crimped edge of each wedge into melted chocolate, allowing excess chocolate to drip back into saucepan. Return to wire rack. If desired, sprinkle chocolate edges lightly with fleur de sel while chocolate is still wet. Let stand until chocolate is set.
- You can also melt chocolate in the microwave. In a microwave safe bowl, heat chocolate and shortening for about 25 seconds, then stir, and heat for an additional 25 seconds. Finally, stir until completely melted and smooth.
- Layer cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
