Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread Cookies

I’ve come across at least five new shortbread recipes I’m very excited to try out this year.  Who could ever imagine that shortbread comes in so many flavours! 

Each recipe is unique in types of sugars, flours and flavours used but all promise delicious buttery results.

This recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread caught my eye since corn flour was a shortbread ingredient I had never used before.  Fruit sugar, a more common ingredient in this recipe produces a very light, delicate texture while the poppy seeds add a subtle nutty flavour.

I must say however that the star ingredient has to be the fragrant lemon zest adding a delicious burst of citrus flavour!

Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread Cookies
1 cup softened unsalted butter
½ cup superfine sugar (fruit sugar)
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
2 cups flour
¼ cup corn flour
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1. With an electric beater blend together butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy.
2. Sift together flour, corn flour and salt.
3. Add dry ingredients and poppy seeds to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.  Dough may look crumbly at this point, using hands press it together until it forms a ball.
4. Roll into about 1/4th inch thickness.  For best results refrigerate rolled dough for about 20 minutes before cutting out with cookie cutter.
5. Place on ungreased or parchment lined baking sheets.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to turn a light golden colour.
7. Cool a few minutes on trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

 











Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• Unless you’re going to be baking a lot of poppy seed recipes purchase only a small amount as they turn rancid rather quickly.  Keep any left overs in the refrigerator.
• Dough can be placed in a clean food storage bag then rolled out, this gives a good thickness and is easier to handle when refrigerating before cutting out. (Glad brand large 10 by 14 inch food storage bags (not Zip Lock) work well to get a uniform rolled out dough.)
• This dough can also be cut in half and formed into 2 logs approximately 8 inches each, wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated until firm then cut into 1/4 inch slices and baked as above.
• As with most shortbread cookies they are quite rich and satisfying and probably better cut out in small cookie sizes.
• A little creativity in embellishing these cookies goes a long way...the flat end of a wooden skewer does wonders!

One Bowl Chocolate Brownies

This brownie recipe is definitely for those times you crave something chocolaty and sweet but not badly enough to end up with a major kitchen clean up.

This is the easiest brownie recipe I’ve come across other than opening a box and adding water, oil and an egg, the difference being much improved taste and texture!  At first there was a little concern over the lack of baking powder or soda in the recipe but it soon became apparent that all the rising power was going to come from the three eggs.

Since purchasing an individual brownie pan it's hard to go back to using anything else. In a traditional square pan, brownies seem to bake a lot faster around the edges sometimes leaving the center a little too soft, borderline raw at times for my liking.  Of course there’s also the problem of everyone making a claim on a corner brownie for the crisp edges. We can all do the math, there are only four corners in a square pan!

Plenty of crisp, tasty edges to go around with this individual brownie pan and once a toothpick inserted into the edge comes out clean the center is perfect! 

Some like fuggy while others prefer cake like brownies.  This recipe seems to have a texture that is somewhere in between and perfect for adding any favourite ingredient into the mix. Walnuts come to mind but there are so many possibilities to make them perfect for anyone’s taste!

One Bowl Chocolate Brownies
1 cup semi- sweet chocolate chips
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces for faster melting
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder (optional)
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
¾ cups chocolate chips (optional)

1. Butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray an 8 inch square pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment or waxed paper.
2. Place a large bowl over a pan of simmering water, add butter and chocolate and stir until completely melted.
3. Remove bowl from heat and stir in sugar, cocoa powder and instant coffee if using.
4. Stir in the vanilla extract and eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
5. Stir in the flour, salt and chocolate chips if using.
6. Pour into prepared pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree F.oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a little batter and a few moist clumps clinging to it.  Do not over bake.
7. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
8. Makes 12 to 16 brownies depending on the size they're cut.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• If baking in an individual brownie pan bake about 20 minutes, when toothpick inserted in edge of brownie comes out clean, remove from oven.
• Makes 12 brownies if using individual brownie pan.
• Adding a teaspoon of instant coffee powder intensifies the chocolate flavour.
• Just wondering if adding only 2 eggs would give a more fuggy texture, worth a try next time.
• These brownies slipped out of the pan easily.  Another recipe I tried resisted leaving the pan so I placed it in the freezer for 10 minutes.  This was just enough time for the edges to start freezing and come away from the pan.  Sometimes anything is worth a try!

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Shortbread

A stack of favourite holiday cookie recipes sit on the counter waiting to come to life! This year I have a few new recipes for the all-time favourite, shortbread.

Most shortbread recipes are simple and require minimal ingredients. Butter is definitely the main ingredient but when it comes to the type of sugar and flavouring used the recipes produce cookies unique in taste and texture.

The icing sugar used in the Whipped Shortbread recipe posted some time ago gives a light somewhat fluffy texture that just melts in your mouth.  On the other hand, brown sugar used for these Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookies develops into a more crisp texture with a hint of caramel flavour. Both are  shortbread however differ in texture and taste but both equally delicious!

This batch won’t last for the holidays, in fact they will only last a couple of days in the cookie jar before they disappear!

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Shortbread
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup mini chocolate chips

1. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until light and fluffy.
2. Sift the flour then gradually beat in until well mixed.
3. Mix in chocolate chips and with hands gather dough into a ball.
4. Roll out dough into about ¼ inch thickness and cut with cookie cutter.
5. Gather all the scraps and pile the pieces on top of each other then re-roll, continue until all dough is used up.
6. Place on ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheets and bake in a preheated 350 degree F. 0ven for 13 to 15 minutes until pale brown.
7. Cool on sheets for a few minutes then transfer to racks.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• Dough can also be rolled into 1 inch balls, placed on baking sheet and pressed down with a fork like peanut butter cookies.  Baking time will increase by 5 to 7 minutes if shaped this way.
• Even though flour is the only dry ingredient sifting removes any lumps and aerates it making it easier to blend in.
• I used two 3/16th's diameter wooden dowels to help roll the dough into a uniform thickness. My dowels are part of a pasta drying rack.  Home Depot carries different size dowels.  Just place dowels alongside the dough and roll with a rolling pin.
• Make sure the scraps are placed on top of each other to re-roll, this will ensure the texture remains tender.   Whatever you do don't squish the dough together before re-rolling.
• If you don’t have a ring cookie cutter, use a round cookie cutter and cut out the center with a wide decorating tip.
• Once the cookies are removed from the oven and still hot re-cutting the centers makes a neater appearance.  Just make sure it’s done as soon as the cookies are removed from the oven or they will crack.
• Rolling the cookies in fruit sugar gives them a little sparkle, totally optional though.
• Cookies freeze very well.