Mothers Day Fine Macadamia Shortbread Hearts Recipes

MACADAMIA SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Put the macadamia nuts and sugar in a food processor and pulse until they reach the texture of fine crumbs.
• Then add the vanilla extract and butter, and pulse again until smooth.
• Add 4.4 ounces of the flour, and pulse until just combined.
• Remove and knead in as much of the remaining flour as you need to create a smooth dough.
• Roll the dough in plastic wrap, to form a log approximately 20cm in length, then refrigerate for half an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Take the dough log from the fridge, cut into 0.5cm-thick slices.
• Push a few extra macadamia pieces into each biscuit, then remove the plastic wrap.
• Place on a baking sheet and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for eight to nine minutes, until just set.
• Cool the biscuits on a tray, then transfer them to a wire rack.
• Store in an airtight container.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S SHORTBREAD HEARTS - INA GARTEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment (I use a standard Kitchen Aid hand mixer with regular blades), cream together the Butter and 1 Cup of the Sugar until they are just combined.
• Add the Vanilla.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the Flour and Salt; then add them to the Butter and Sugar mixture.
• Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk.
• Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter (I roll the dough between two sheets of flour-dusted waxed paper -- no sticking!).
• Place the hearts on an ungreased sheet pan and sprinkle with sugar (I line the baking sheets with parchment paper).
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (time will vary based on the size/shape/thickness of your cookie dough), until the edges begin to brown.
• Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Leave plain or dip in or paint with melted chocolate or Royal Icing.
• A NOTE FROM INA: The edges of the shortbread are ever so slightly sharper if you chill the cookies before baking them. I cut out the cookies days ahead and bake them the day I serve them.
• For me, I loosely wrap each baked cookie in bakery-type waxed 'tissue' paper and store them in the fridge in a tightly sealed Tupperware-type container -- they will keep for weeks this way and still taste great!