Three Cheese Shortbreads Recipes

CHEDDAR CHEESE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk together salt, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper and set aside.
• Mix cheese and butter with a stand or hand mixture until smooth.
• Whisk the spice mix into the flour.
• Add flour/spice mixture 1/2 cup at a time.
• Knead the dough for a few minutes until all the little pieces that were at the bottom of the mixing bowl come together.
• Roll dough into small balls, place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment or a non-stick baking pad.
• Press each small ball with a small glass or a shot glass to flatten and make a consistent size.
• Chill to dough balls for 1-2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Bake for 16-19 minutes until they are golden brown.
• Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

SUPER-EASY SHORTBREAD (3 INGREDIENTS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°.
• Cream butter and sugar together.
• Add flour and mix till texture is like clay.
• Press dough into ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan, prick all over with a fork, and sprinkle with sugar (tilt pan to cover the top evenly, then shake excess sugar back into the sugar canister).
• Bake for about 40-45 minutes (till very lightly browned--just golden around the edges).
• Let stand for 5 minutes, then cut into 24 squares while warm.
• Leave in pan to cool thoroughly. (Shortbread will not be crisp until cool.).
• Less easy method: Chill dough. Roll into 1-inch balls, then press balls to about 1/4-inch thickness on ungreased cookie sheets with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar (sometimes you can find a glass with a pretty design on the bottom, like a star). Bake at 300° for about 20-25 minutes (until edges are very lightly browned).
• Least easy method: Chill dough. Roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness, sprinkle with sugar, then cut with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 300° for about 20-25 minutes (until edges are very lightly browned).
• Variation: Add 2 tablespoons dried lavender to the creamed butter and sugar before adding flour. It may sound strange, but the flavor is subtle and elegant. Food-grade lavender is usually available in herb bins at health food stores, and I recently found it at a great price from Atlantic Spice online (their Lavender #1).
• Variation: After cutting shortbread into squares (it will still be warm), scatter 1 cup of chocolate chips over the top, let the chocolate soften completely, then spread as a thin layer and let cool completely before removing from pan. (No need to sprinkle shortbread with sugar before baking if you plan to do this.).
• Variation: Stir 1 cup chocolate chips or butterscotch chips into the dough before pressing into pan. You can also try melting the butterscotch over the top, as above. In England, you'll find "caramel shortbread," which has a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate on top of the shortbread. It's wonderful (of course!). I've tried various ways of doing this and various kinds of caramel, but it's been a while and I don't remember what works best. It can be tricky not to make a mess!

THREE-CHEESE SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Beat the butter until light and fluffy.
• Stir in the three cheeses, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, and flour. Mix well.
• If the dough is too crumbly, add milk tablespoon by tablespoon, until the dough holds together.
• Pat the dough into a disc and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Roll the dough out into a large 1/4-inch thick circle. Use a scalloped cookie cutter to cut out the shortbreads.
• Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown.

CHEDDAR SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Combine butter, mustard, and pepper in food processor, and whirl to combine. Add cheese and whirl again to mix.
• Add flour and pulse just until blended.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with desired small cookie cutter and transfer to cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom.