Shortbread Cookies

Hi all! I am back again after a long period of hibernation. Every week seems so short for me and it seems to end as it begins. Today I have been at home and relaxing and enjoying all day. I was watching Ina Garten on Barefoot Contessa and she was making Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies. I have always enjoyed eating Shortbread Cookies from Panera Bread. It is a lovelyl bakery with a wonderful ambience and absolutely delicious food.

I looked up on our one and only Google and tried the first link that popped up. It was from Joy of Baking. The cookies turned out to be delicious and was worth taking no effort to make them.

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter - 8 Tbsp - 1 stick
All purpose flour - 1 Cup
Powdered Sugar - 1/4 cup
Salt - A pinch
Vanilla Extract - 1/2 tsp
Regular granulated Sugar - For Decoration

Method:

• In a food processor, combine the butter (at room temperature), flour, powdered sugar and salt.

• Add the Vanilla extract to this.

• Pulse the ingredients until it combines to form a dough.

• Flour the rolling surface and bring the dough together and wrap it in a plastic wrap.

• Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

• After 30 minutes, roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut it into desired shapes using a cookie cutter.

• Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with foil or parchment paper.

• Sprinkle regular granulated sugar on the cookies to give it a glistening look.

• Preheat the oven to 350^oF and  bake the cookies at 350^oF for 5-7 minutes.

• Cool the cookies on a wired cooling rack. 

• Serve them with morning coffee or evening tea.

See you all very soon with another new and easy recipe!!

Whole Wheat Cashew and Raisin Biscotti!

Biscotti's are very popular in Italy. There are many versions of making a Biscotti. This Biscotti recipe was derived from Whole-Wheat Walnut Raisin Biscotti. I have recreated the same into a different version. I have substituted Cashews for Almonds and have used egg substitute instead of using 2 large eggs. The other ingredients are very much alike. Biscotti's have to be baked twice. Once the loaf has to be baked as a whole. The second baking is after slicing the loaf and baking the pieces to get a crusty and a crispy Biscotti.I have also given them a glaze which is a mixture of milk,icing sugar and Ground cinnamon. This is how I made these easy and tasty Biscotti's!

Ingredients:

3/4th cup of Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup California Raisins
1/2 cup Cashews
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Egg Substitute (Equivalent to 2 eggs):

2 tsp Flaxseed Powder
1/2 cup of Water

Source: Madhuram's Eggless Cooking

For the Glaze:

1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp milk

Method:

• Sift the flour and add the other dry ingredients and whisk well.
• Add the Cashews and Raisins and mix.
• In a different bowl, mix 2 tsp of flaxseed powder and 1/2 cup of water and the vanilla extract.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Add milk in small increments to get the consistency of a dough.
• Make a loaf of the dough in the dimensions that you are comfortable. I made a 5" X 8" loaf.
• Place the loaf on a baking sheet lined with foil/ parchment paper.
• Bake  the loaf in the oven at 350⁰  F for 20 minutes.
• Once done, remove from the oven.
• Let it cool for some time.
• Take a sharp serrated knife and cut the loaf into thin slices diagonally.

• Arrange the slices on the baking tray.
• Prepare a glaze of icing sugar and ground cinnamon and apply on the slices.
• Place the slices back in the oven at 300⁰ F for 20 minutes. 
• Remove from oven,cool them and store them in an air-tight container.

Biscotti's can be enjoyed with tea or coffee, breakfast or evening snack....Anytime...Enjoy!!