Truth: I’ve made so many Christmas cookies on this blog before that sometimes I wonder if I’m going to run out of ideas completely. But if I’ve learned anything at all in writing this blog since 2009 (!), it’s that you have to be willing to put it all out there. You know? Leave it all on the table. Creativity begets creativity! Give ‘em your best, every day. So it is in that spirit that I offer you 5-recipes-in-one. Let’s ignore the fact that I took plenty of inspiration from Betty Crocker for today’s post, and that I already knew you were into the whole thing because you told me so on my Must Make Gluten Free Pinterest board. Betty was using her boxed shortbread cookie mix, but no thanks, Betty. We don’t need your mix. We’ve got our own make-your-own mix. And we slice them like icebox cookies, rather than rolling them out. We don’t need to roll them out, no sir.
For each of these 5 recipes, we start off the same—with a gluten free shortbread cookies mix. And since shortbread cookies are pretty much the absolute simplest cookies around, that mix is dead simple: some flours, sugar, and salt. That’s it. Then, for the Berry Chocolate Chip cookies, just add dried berries and mini chocolate chips (a chocolate drizzle doesn’t hurt, but isn’t strictly necessary). Mocha cookies just call for some cocoa powder and instant espresso powder. Glazed lemon cookies are made fresh and lemony with lemonade drink mix (I used True Lemon brand lemonade drink mix, but you could definitely just use straight-up True Lemon granulated lemon crystals, or any other lemonade drink mix you like) and lemon zest, then topped with a simple lemon glaze. Toffee caramel cookies are by far the fanciest, since they are made with toffee bits, then dipped in chocolate and drizzled with caramel. I did use store-bought caramels, but you could easily use our favorite caramel sauce. Mmmm….
These recipes are all so simple, and the “plain” recipe below is really the only one you need. Use the proportions here to make them your own—for each recipe of shortbread cookie dry mix, you’ll need 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Beyond that, add 1/3 cup of mix-ins (like chopped dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, toffee bits or any other tiny mix-ins). Drizzle with chocolate, top with cinnamon sugar, sugar-in-the-raw, or mocha sugar. You get the idea!
One more tip: If you plan to make all 5 kinds of shortbread cookies, multiply all of the shortbread cookie mix ingredients by 5, and whisk to combine well. Then, measure out 270 grams of the well-combined dry mix for each recipe and proceed with the instructions as written for each. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can make a whole bunch of cookie varieties. Talk about impressive!
Shortbread Cookie Dry Mix
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (158 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/4 cup (36 g) cornstarch (or try arrowroot)
3/8 cup (75 g) granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Plain Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread Cookie Dry Mix (see above)
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, softened
Mocha Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread Cookie Mix (see above)
3 tablespoons (15 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons (36 g) granulated sugar
Berry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Shortbread Cookie Dry Mix (see above)
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons (30 g) chopped dried berries (I used cranberries, but dried cherries would also be great)
2 tablespoons (28 g) miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted (for drizzling)
Toffee Caramel Cookies
Shortbread Cookie Dry Mix (see above)
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (80 g) toffee bits (I used Hershey’s Heath English Toffee Bits—I called the company and they confirmed that they are gluten free)
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted (for dipping)
8 Kraft caramels, unwrapped, melted with 2 teaspoons milk (for drizzling)
Coarse salt, for sprinkling
Glazed Lemon Cookies
Shortbread Cookie Dry Mix (see above)
1 teaspoon (3 g) lemonade flavor dry drink mix (I used True Lemon brand original lemonade drink mix)
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (58 g) confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice, plus more by the 1/8 teaspoonful if necessary
First, make the shortbread cookie mix. Place all of the cookie mix ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk to combine well. Set the dry mix aside.
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
To make the Plain Shortbread Cookies, place 1 recipe of the shortbread cookie dry mix (270 g) in a large bowl. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the butter. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are moistened with the butter, and then knead the dough with clean hands until it comes together. The dough should be thick and smooth. Place the dough on a large piece of unbleached parchment paper and roll into a tight cylinder about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Square off the sides of the cylinder as you wrap it in the parchment paper, and twist the edges of the parchment to close. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes or until firm. Remove from the refrigerator, and slice by cross-section into 15 squares, each about 3/8-inch thick. Place the squares about 1-inch apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until set in the center and very pale brown underneath. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the Mocha Shortbread Cookies, place 1 recipe of the shortbread cookie dry mix (270 g), 2 tablespoons (10 g) of the cocoa powder and 2 teaspoons of the espresso powder in a large bowl, and whisk to combine. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the butter. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are moistened with the butter, and then knead the dough with clean hands until it comes together. The dough should be thick and smooth. Place the dough on a large piece of unbleached parchment paper and roll into a tight cylinder about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Square off the sides of the cylinder as you wrap it in the parchment paper, and twist the edges of the parchment to close. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes or until firm. Remove from the refrigerator, and slice by cross-section into 15 squares, each about 3/8-inch thick. Place the remaining 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, remaining 1 teaspoon espresso powder and the granulated sugar in a small bowl, and mix to combine. Place the squares in the bowl of cocoa-mocha sugar, one at a time, pressing the dough gently in the mixture on all sides to ensure that the sugar mixture adheres to the dough. Place the squares about 1-inch apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until set in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the Berry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies, place 1 recipe of the shortbread cookie dry mix (270 g) in a large bowl. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the butter. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are moistened with the butter. Add the dried chopped berries and chocolate chips, and mix until the pieces are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Knead the dough with clean hands until it comes together. It should be thick and smooth. Place the dough on a large piece of unbleached parchment paper and roll into a tight cylinder about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Square off the sides of the cylinder as you wrap it in the parchment paper, and twist the edges of the parchment to close. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes or until firm. Remove from the refrigerator, and slice by cross-section into 15 squares, each about 3/8-inch thick. Place the squares about 1-inch apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until set in the center and very pale brown underneath. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle the melted chocolate on the tops of the cooled cookies, and allow the cookies to sit until the chocolate is set.
To make the Toffee Caramel Shortbread Cookies, place 1 recipe of the shortbread cookie dry mix (270 g) in a large bowl. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the butter. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are moistened with the butter. Add the toffee bits, and mix until the pieces are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Knead the dough with clean hands until it comes together. It should be thick and smooth. Place the dough on a large piece of unbleached parchment paper and roll into a tight cylinder about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Square off the sides of the cylinder as you wrap it in the parchment paper, and twist the edges of the parchment to close. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes or until firm. Remove from the refrigerator, and slice by cross-section into 15 squares, each about 3/8-inch thick. Place the squares about 1-inch apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until set in the center and very pale brown underneath. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate, and allow the cookies to sit until the chocolate is set. Place the caramels and milk in a small bowl, and place in the microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power. Repeat, stirring in between, until the caramels are melted and the mixture is smooth. Drizzle the melted caramel on top of the chocolate, and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Allow to sit until the caramel is set.
To make the Glazed Lemon Shortbread Cookies, place 1 recipe of the shortbread cookie dry mix (270 g), the lemonade drink mix and lemon peel in a large bowl, and whisk to combine (working out any clumps of grated lemon peel). Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the butter. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are moistened with the butter, then knead the dough with clean hands until it comes together. It should be thick and smooth. Place the dough on a large piece of unbleached parchment paper and roll into a tight cylinder about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Square off the sides of the cylinder as you wrap it in the parchment paper, and twist the edges of the parchment to close. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes or until firm. Remove from the refrigerator, and slice by cross-section into 15 squares, each about 3/8-inch thick. Place the squares about 1-inch apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until set in the center and very pale brown underneath. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. To make the glaze, place the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and mix well, until a thick paste forms. Add more lemon juice by the 1/4-teaspoon, mixing to combine well, until the glaze falls off the spoon slowly, in a thick but pourable glaze. Add lemon juice very slowly, as it is much easier to thin, than to thicken, the glaze. If you do thin the glaze too much, add more confectioners’ sugar a teaspoon at a time to thicken it. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies in the glaze and place on a flat surface to sit until the glaze is set.
Adapted from Betty Crocker’s 5 Way Shortbread Cookies as selected by you from my Must Make Gluten Free Pinterest Board.
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