Heavenly Shortbread Recipes

HEAVENLY HASH BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F
• Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, or line with parchment and grease the parchment.
• To make the crust:
• In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in the flour.
• The dough will seem very dry, and won't seem to want to become cohesive at first. Just keep beating, and it'll eventually come together.
• Press the dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with your fingers or a mini rolling pin (pastry roller).
• The dough will feel stiff, but just keep pressing on it until you've covered the bottom of the pan.
• Prick the dough all over with a fork; this will keep it from bubbling up as it bakes.
• Bake the crust for 35 to 40 minutes, until it's golden brown around the edges and beginning to brown on the top.
• Remove it from the oven, and loosen the edges with a heat-resistant plastic knife or a table knife.
• Make the topping while the shortbread begins to cool.
• To make the topping:
• Place the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan.
• Heat in the microwave, or over low heat on a burner, till the cream is steaming and barely beginning to form bubbles.
• Remove from the heat, and stir.
• The chocolate will gradually form a lump in the center of the bowl, then will start to expand as it absorbs the cream.
• Eventually the chocolate and cream will become one; keep stirring till it's very smooth.
• If all the chocolate doesn't seem melted, reheat very briefly, and keep stirring.
• Spread the warm chocolate atop the cookie crust.
• Sprinkle with the marshmallows, then the pecans.
• Immediately use a knife, or a baker's bench knife, to cut the bars into squares.
• You'll find it useful to run the knife under hot water and wipe it off every several cuts, to keep drag to a minimum.
• The reason you're cutting these bars immediately (admittedly, a somewhat messy proposition), is that if you wait till they're cool the bottom crust is more difficult to cut.
• Cover the pan, and place the bars in the refrigerator for about an hour, to set the chocolate.
• Remove from the fridge, and use a spatula to transfer the bars from the pan to a serving plate.

HEAVENLY SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
• Cream softened butter thoroughly. ( If using margarine, add four drops of butter flavoring.) Slowly add sugar.
• Sift flour and corn starch before adding. Mix well. Press into an ungreased jelly roll pan 11 x 15 x 1 1/2 inches.
• Bake 30 minutes or until very light brown. Score and cut while warm.

HEAVENLY BROWNIE-ON-SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• PAN PREP:.
• Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Press a.
• sheet of aluminum foil to cover the outside bottom and sides of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch square pan.
• Lift off the foil, invert the pan, and gently press the foil into the pan to fit the contours.
• SHORTBREAD:.
• In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and.
• process briefly to blend.
• Scatter the butter pieces over the top and process with 1-second.
• bursts.
• Add the vanilla and continue with 1-second bursts until the ingredients form.
• small clumps.
• Stop before the mixture forms a ball.
• Scatter the clumps over the bottom of the prepared pan, and press with fingertips to line the bottom evenly.
• Bake the shortbread until it is pale gold and firm to the touch, 27 to 32 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan, about 20 minutes.
• HEAVENLY BROWNIE:.
• Briefly whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl to blend; set aside.
• In a small, heavy saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over very low heat, stirring with a silicone spatula until smooth.
• Remove from the heat and stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture, combining thoroughly.
• Set aside for 5 to 7 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten.
• Add the slightly cooled chocolate mixture to the eggs, stirring to blend. Stir in the vanilla, then the flour mixture.
• Pour the batter over the shortbread, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.
• Sprinkle the nuts evenly over the batter.
• Gently pat them in place.
• Bake the brownie until the top looks slightly cracked about 1 inch from the edge around the pan and feels soft to the touch, 27 - 30 minutes (Don't overbake; the brownie will firm as it cools).
• Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely in the pan, at least 3.
• hours or up to overnight.
• TO SERVE:.
• Using the edges of the foil as handles, lift the brownie slab onto a cutting board.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the brownies straight down through the shortbread into 1-1/2-inch squares.
• STORAGE:.
• Return the bars to the pan, cover with aluminum foil, sealing the.
• foil around the edges of the pan, and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.

HEAVENLY SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
• Cream softened butter thoroughly. ( If using margarine, add four drops of butter flavoring.) Slowly add sugar.
• Sift flour and corn starch before adding. Mix well. Press into an ungreased jelly roll pan 11 x 15 x 1 1/2 inches.
• Bake 30 minutes or until very light brown. Score and cut while warm.