Chocolate Shortbread With Lemon Royal Icing Recipes

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, sugar and cocoa; add to creamed mixture. Beat until dough holds together, about 3 minutes. , Pat into a 9x4-in. rectangle. Cut into 2x1-1/2-in. strips. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with a fork. , Bake at 300° for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, then add vanilla & mix well.
• In another bowl, whisk together flour, sugar & cocoa, then add to creamed mixture, beating about 3 minutes or until dough holds together.
• Pat the dough into a 9-inch by 4-inch rectangle, then cut into 2-inch by 1 1/2-inch strips.
• Place strips 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Prick each strip several times with a fork.
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until set.
• Set sheets on wire rack(s) to cool for 5 minutes, then remove shortbreat to wire rack(s) to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD WITH LEMON ROYAL ICING

Steps:

• Sift together dry ingredients and process in a food processor until well mixed.
• Add the butter pieces and process until mixture becomes a fine crumble (it should resemble cornmeal).
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat. In a small bowl, combine yolks, heavy cream, and vanilla.
• When chocolate is melted, remove from double boiler and cool until just warm to the touch. Gently heat the yolk mixture in the double boiler for 1 minute, until yolks are the same temperature as the chocolate. Do not overheat, or they will curdle.
• Add yolk mixture to melted chocolate and mix well. Pour into food processor along with flour mixture, and mix until dough comes together, 3 or 4 pulses.
• Shape dough into 2 flattened rounds. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees, and line baking sheets with parchment.
• On a well-floured surface, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Dip cutters in flour and cut into desired shapes. Brush off any excess flour. Carefully transfer cookies to sheets with a metal spatula, leaving a 1-inch space between them.
• Bake for 10 to 14 minutes; do not overbake. Cool completely on racks, then decorate with Lemon Royal Icing.

ROYAL ICING

Steps:

• Combine the egg whites and powdered sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer on medium speed until opaque and shiny, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and continue whipping until completely incorporated, about 3 minutes. The lemon juice whitens the royal icing. The royal icing should be light, fluffy, and slightly stiff. You may need to adjust the consistency by adding more egg whites if the icing is too dry or more powdered sugar if it is too wet.
• Make a cornet and fill it half full with royal icing. Cover the remaining icing with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out while you work. It will be much easier to decorate the cake if you place it on a turntable. Use the royal icing to make decorations as you desire. Make as many cornets as needed to complete the design. You can use a cornet filled with royal icing to fill in the seams and edges where the cakes meet. Decorate with dots, swags, or any other design. The royal icing will harden as it dries.
• Piping fine decorations with royal icing takes some practice but you will improve with time. To train your hands and practice piping, try this exercise: use a medium-point magic marker to draw the desired pattern on a sheet of parchment paper. Repeat the pattern several times to allow for practice. Place another sheet of parchment paper over the designs and tape both pieces to the work surface to keep them from moving. Use a cornet filled with royal icing to trace the pattern. When you feel you have had enough practice, place the cake in front of you and repeat the patterns on the cake, instead of on the parchment paper.
• For different widths of decoration, use several cornets and cut the ends into different-sized openings. With royal icing, if you make a mistake, you can just wipe it off! The royal icing will harden as it dries.
• Flowers are widely used to decorate cakes. Usually, when the flowers are not fresh, they are made from gum paste. You can make your own or buy them already made from a specialty baking supply store. I would suggest buying them since they are very reasonably priced compared to the time and energy it takes to make them. Gum paste flowers can be reused or stored in an airtight container for any celebration. Remember to handle them with care because they will chip or break.
• If you have your own garden, pick some lovely blooms and use them to decorate the cake. Don't forget to use the natural greens to decorate around the base of the cake. Be sure you know which varieties of flowers and greens are safe to use; there are some that are poisonous. Flowers that are safe to use include: apple blossoms, citrus blossoms, day lilies, English daisies, pansies, roses, tulips, lilacs, and violets.

FROSTED CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cornstarch, cocoa and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Press into an ungreased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes or until center is set. Cool on a wire rack. , Cut into 1-1/2-in. x 1-in. squares. In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar, cocoa and water until smooth. Frost cookies; decorate with sprinkles if desired.

CHOCOLATE ROYAL ICING

Steps:

• Mix powdered sugar, cocoa and egg whites.
• Add water slowly until the icing is the consistency of thick frosting for outlining and thin with more water to fill.