Vanilla Shortbread Sugar Cookies with Sugar Free Strawberry Filling

This is one of my favorite cookies ever. So buttery and pretty. Just perfect for Valentine gift giving.

Vanilla Shortbread Sugar Cookies with Sugar Free Strawberry Filling

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Beat butter until soft. Add confectioner's sugar and beat until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl blend together flour and salt.
3. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Beat in vanilla extract.
4. Knead dough until mixture is well combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for one hour or overnight.
5. Thaw and roll out dough to 1/4 inches thickness. Cut out cookie sandwich using heart linzer cookie cutter.
6. Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.
7. Dust window (top cookie ) with confectioner's sugar (optional)
8. Spread sugar free strawberry jam on bottom cookie.
9. Assemble cookie like a sandwich.

Recipe adapted from Rosewater Shortbread Cut Out Sugar Cookie recipe

Holiday Baking Preview

This cookie is so good with coffee, tea and ice cream. Make a batch today!


Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt 
• 1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar 
• 1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract

Shortbreads: In a separate bowl whisk the flour, cocoa powder with the salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch (.6 cm) thick circle. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. (This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.) Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe from Joy of Baking 

Fortune Cookie Fun

FORTUNE COOKIE

1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a cookie sheet. Write fortunes on strips of paper about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Generously grease 2 cookie sheets.

2. Mix the egg white and vanilla until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white mixture.

3. Place teaspoonfuls of the batter at least 4 inches apart on one of the prepared cookie sheets. Tilt the sheet to move the batter into round shapes about 3 inches in diameter. Be careful to make batter as round and even as possible. Do not make too many, because the cookie have to be really hot to form them and once they cool it is too late. Start with 2 or 3 to a sheet and see how many you can do.

4. Bake for 5 minutes or until cookie has turned a golden color 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the circle. The center will remain pale. While one sheet is baking, prepare the other.

5. Remove from oven and quickly move cookie with a wide spatula and place upside down on a wooden board. Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, close to the middle and fold the cookie in half. Place the folded edge across the rim of a measuring cup and pull the pointed edges down, one on the inside of the cup and one on the outside. Place folded cookies into the cups of a muffin tin or egg carton to hold their shape until firm.

Happiness is a tin of butter cookies

I'm a sucker for Danish Butter Cookies. Those lovely, butter-y, secret goodies in keepsake, collectible tins. I think they make the nicest, sincerest gifts. Every tin is a nest of warm, happy thoughts.

Last night, I actually spent hours making these buttery treats. Chill. Cut. Bake. Enjoy!

Butter Cookies

Preparation: 1 hr. Baking: 6 min. Cooling: 15 min.

Chilling: 2 hrs.

Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

21/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons

orange juice

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

Combine 1 cup butter, sugar and egg in large mixer bowl.Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Reduce speed to low; add flour, orange juice,1 tablespoon vanilla and baking powder. Beat until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes).

Divide dough into thirds; wrap in plastic food wrap.

Refrigerate until firm (2 to 3 hours or overnight).

Heat oven to 400°. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface,one-third at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Oriental Cookie

This is a satisfying not-too-sweet cookie that's a perfect ending to a Chinese meal.

Jin Mah Bang Sesame Seed Cakes

2 cups flour
1/2 cup fat ( vegetable)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs

Sift flour and baking powder on to pastry board. Make well in center and stir in sugar, 1 egg and strained fat. Work mixture into dough . Knead like bread. Roll dugh into 1/2" round roll cut into 1/2" sections. Roll into bowl and press flat. Beat 1 egg yolk and brush cookie with it. Drop into seame seeds and press them on. Brush with beaten egg white and bake on greased baking sheets for about 15 minute in oven 350 fahrenheit.

Biscotti Blitz

Biscotti and coffee go together like a wink and a smile.

Biscotti, an oblong shaped, crunchy cookie that originated from Prato in Tuscany has hundreds of flavours and variations to date. The popular biscottis are baked with dried cranberry, lemon and orange zest, cinnamon, raisins, miniature dark and white chocolate chips, allspice and toasted nuts. Biscotti is so delightfully crunchy that it should be dipped in coffee, latte, espresso and even vino for maximum pleasure.

This particular recipe beats other biscotti flavours I've tried.

Brownie Biscotti

1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened coca powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Grease baking sheets,or line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, crea together the butter and sugar until sooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking powder, stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Dough will be stiff, so mix in the last bit by hand. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
3. Divide dough into the two equal parts. Shape into 9x2x1 inch loaves. Place onto baking sheet 4 inches apart. Brush with mixture of water and olk.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm. Cool on baking sheet for 39 minutes.
5. Using a serrated knife slice the loaves diagonally into 1 inch slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet placing them on their sides. Bake for 10 to 15 monutes on each side, or until dry. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.