Short bread cookies with mixed fruit jam topping

Short bread cookies are very easy to make in terms of the number of ingredients used, expertise required to make the dough etc, but when it comes to actually baking the cookies, it is really a time consuming job. You need to first refrigerate the dough for an hour, then flatten the dough, cut the cookies and again refrigerate for 15 minutes, then bake them. If the quantity of dough is less, the cookies can be done in one go. But if you are making in bulk, cutting bite sized cookies and baking them in batches.... its not a very pleasant experience. But if you are making the cookies for your near and dear ones to give away as gifts, then there is nothing joyful than making these wonderful, little, soft and crispy shortbread cookies...

I made these shortbread cookies to be given to my parents, sister, uncle, aunty and above all my grandmother when I will be visting them this weekend.

Here is the recipe..

Ingredients to make around 80 bite sized cookies

Unsalted Butter: 227 gms
All purpose flour/Maida: 260 gms
Icing sugar: 65 gms
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Mixed fruit jam for topping the cookie: 2 tbsp (optional)

Procedure

1. Mix flour and salt in a bowl and keep aside.
2. Cream the butter until it is smooth.
3. Add sugar to the butter and beat until smooth. Add vanilla essence and beat.(I did step 1 and 2 using electric blender)
4. Add the flour mixture to sugar and butter mixture and mix just until soft dough is formed.(I did this with hand.) First it will stick to the hand. Slowly and softly bring the dough together.
5. Flatten the dough slightly with hands and place in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.(I placed the dough in a plastic cover and refrigerated for the first 55 minutes and freezed it the last five minutes)
6. Keep ready a baking sheet lined with parchement paper.(I use butter paper)
7. Lightly flour the surface where dough will be rolled. Also lightly flour the cookie cutters.
8. Flatten the dough using a rolling pin or hand.(I did with hand. I took only 1/4th of the dough from the refrigerator as I could bake only around 20 cookies at a time due to the size of my oven)
9. Cut the dough using cookie cutter. Place very little quantity of jam on top of each cookie. Place in the baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.(Thickness of the cookie can be decided by ones one judgement)
10. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes in a preheated oven.
11. Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the dough.

Enjoy the cookies with your dear ones.

Note:
1. For parts measurement, for 1 part of sugar, add 2 parts of butter and 3 parts flour.
2. If cookie cutter is not available, the dough can be made into small balls, flattened using the palm and baked.
3. Its not necessary to wait till the cookies are completelty baked. It can be removed from the oven when the top part of the cookie is still a bit soft. It will harden with its own heat.
4. Using jam is completely optional.

Almond shortbread

I had almost decided to take a break from blogging as I could not cope up with office, home, kid and blogging.

But that is not to happen. A couple of days back my close friend from college called me(may after 2 years or so) to say that she just discovered my blog and gave a word or two of appreciation about my posts. She also instantly became a follower of my blog. I got the much needed motivation from her at the right time and here I am to post my recipe for almond short bread which I baked last weekend. (Eventhough I don't blog frequently, I have not given up my weekend baking expeditions.)

As usual I adapted this recipe from Stephanie's joyofbaking.

The baked shortbread was crumbly in texture like a cookie, and it tasted perfect, neither too sweet nor too salty.

The definition for shortbread can be found in wikipedia.

Here is the recipe to make 8 shortbread wedges.

Ingredients

Unsalted butter: 113 gms (at room temperature )
Granulated white sugar: 50 gms
Vanilla extract: 1/2 tsp
All-purpose flour/Maida: 85 gms
Almond flour (meal): 30 gms(I did not have this, so I added a tbsp of almond essence)
Rice flour or corn flour: 25 gms(I used rice flour)
Salt: 1/8th tsp
Flaked almonds for decorating the top of the shortbread

As I did not have almond meal, I increased the quantity of all purpose flour and rice flour each by 10 gms.

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees C
2. Grease an 8 inch (20 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom.(I think mine is a bit bigger than the size mentioned here. But still I used that.)
3. Cream butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 minutes, I used an electric blender)
4. Beat in the vanilla extract.I added almond essence also at this stage.
5. In another bowl mix together the flours and salt. Add this mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat just until incorporated.
6. Press the shortbread dough evenly into the tart pan.(I used a spatula for this)
8. Using a sharp knife, make shallow lines on the dough starting from centre to get 8or 12 wedges.
9. Gently press the flaked almonds.(I just placed whole almonds at the centre of each wedge)
10. Place in preheated oven and bake until it is browned(medium brown color)about 40-45 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
12. Cut along the already made lines to get the shortbread wedges.

Note: I generally set the oven such that the lower coil is heated during pre-heating and both upper and lower coils are heated when I keep the batter/dough inside the oven. Otherwise, the heating is not even and the baked dish gets burnt at the bottom.