Chocolate Shot Cookies

Rich and buttery, like all shortbead cookies should be, these refrigerate-and-slice chocolate shot cookies also contain rolled oats. They are easy to make, keep well in the freezer and will be a welcome addition to your holiday cookie baking.

 

Welcome to the last day of Cookie Week, hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Susan of The Girl In the Little Red Kitchen! We hope you've enjoyed this week as much as we have!

On to the final cookies! 
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I am a cookbook junkie. I have a very hard time passing by a stack of books at a garage sale or car boot sale or estate sale or charity shop without rifling through them and looking for cookbooks. Sometimes I get lucky and find an already coveted book and sometimes I find a treasure previously unknown to me.

The book whence came this slightly adapted recipe is one of the latter finds. It’s called Heart of the Home – Notes from a Vineyard Kitchen and it was published in 1986. According to author/illustrator Susan Branch, it is now out of print but copies can still be found on Ebay. It’s a beautiful book, hand lettered and illustrated with watercolors and each page is a joy to behold. Plus each recipe I’ve tried has been a keeper. It's so sad when beautiful books like this one are out of print so I am delighted to have found a copy.

Ingredients for 2 1/2 dozen cookies
1 cup or 225g butter, softened
1 cup or 125g powdered or icing sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
1 cup or 90g rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup or 150g chocolate shots or sprinkles

Method
Cream the butter and the sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Add in the vanilla and beat again.

In a separate bowl, combine your flour, baking powder and salt.

Add them into the butter/sugar bowl, along with the oatmeal and beat until well combined.

Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for about half an hour. A word of warning: If you chill it for too long it gets completely stiff and unmalleable. (<new word I just made up. Oxford Dictionaries, take note. Why is it not a word?)

Cut the dough into three pieces and roll them into logs. Pile your chocolate shots in the middle of a clean tray with sides and roll the logs in them till you have full coverage.

Wrap the logs in more cling film and refrigerate for at least two hours or until you are ready to bake.  (These can also be frozen.)

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and use a thin serrated knife to slice off however many cookies you are wanting to bake. The original recipe says to use an ungreased cookie sheet but I lined mine with a silicone baking mat.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 9-11 minutes. The tops don’t brown much but the bottoms get lovely and golden. The bottom is definitely the more attractive side. :)

Just out of the oven

Enjoy!

Take a look to see what might inspire you to break out the butter and sugar this weekend.

• Black Pepper Fig Biscotti by Crumb
• Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cookies by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Chocolate Peppermint Crinkles by Jen's Favorite Cookies
• Chocolate Shot Cookies by Food Lust People Love
• Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies by Cooking in Stilettos
• Pumpkin Mallowmars by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Soft and Chewy Butterscotch Chip Pudding Cookies by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
• The Best Gingersnaps by Mind Over Batter
• Thick & Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies {Gluten Free & Dairy Free} by The Cooking Actress

Pin it! 

Jasmine Lychee Green Tea Shortbread

Tea is not just for drinking anymore. It makes a great flavoring for baked goods of any kind and goes exceptionally well in shortbread cookies. Buttery shortbread flavored with jasmine lychee green tea is the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea.

As I flew from Dubai to Boston on Saturday, I walked the cabin of that 777, looking at the faces of my fellow passengers, many asleep in the usual awkward way we sleep on long haul flights, in the back of the plane. And I choked up. All these people, people like many I know and love: With families and friends and dreams and lives to lead. What must it have been like to be on that MAS flight that went missing? Did they cling together, those strangers? Did they pray or cry or scream in fear? Did they know what was happening?

As I walked the aisle, I prayed for them, for their families, for answers and closure, and row by row, I prayed for my own fellow passengers, that they would have safety and God’s protection, all the way to their final destinations. It was a very emotional experience, 35,000 feet in the air, being held aloft by the laws of physics and, I firmly believe, the angels around us. If you don’t believe in angels, I hope you at least believe that we can be that for each other, supporting and uplifting, bringing joy and light whenever and wherever we can.

As I mentioned yesterday, this week I am visiting an old friend in Michigan., someone who has been a source of inspiration and unabashed giggling for many years. We met in Malaysia back in 2001 and she is one of my closest friends in all the world. Naszreen was raised in her home country of Sri Lanka, then Saudi Arabia, finally finishing her education at boarding school in the UK. She married an American and has two wonderful children. Together we have been through years of PTA work, including two exhausting years on the executive committee, chaired two fundraising galas for the American Association of Malaysia, braved through and won a vigorous fight for her health.

These days she is fulfilling a dream she has had for many years, with the opening of a teashop in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Woods. I am inspired by her courage, the way she has worked steadily and with purpose to make her dream come true. She’d deny it forever but she is one of those angels I mentioned, for me.

Today’s cookie is flavored with one of the hundreds of teas she sells. As I browsed her little shop (If you'd like to see some photos, scroll to the bottom of this post.) yesterday, opening bulk tins and reading labels and inhaling the fragrance of everything, she regaled me with her wealth of knowledge about the various teas, their properties and uses. I finally settled on a flavored green tea because it smelled so fabulous. The shortbread turned out wonderfully as well.  Bake a batch for someone you want to lift up.

This recipe was adapted from Food Network.

Jasmine Lychee Green Tea Shortbread

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g flour
2 tablespoons loose tea leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup or 95g powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup or 225g butter, at room temperature

Method
In a food processor, pulse together the flour, tea, and salt, until the tea is chopped up fairly small and it's well distributed throughout.

Add in the sugar, vanilla, and butter and pulse again until a soft dough forms.

Pour your dough out in a line on a big sheet of cling film. Roll the dough into sausage and wrap it tightly in the cling film.

Put the dough into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to chill. I left mine overnight and it was lovely and firm.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F or 190°C.

Use a sharp knife to slice the log into circles. If you prefer a thicker, soft cookie, cut them about 1/2 inch or a little thicker than 1 cm. For a crispier cookie, cut them about 1/3 inch or 8mm thick. Line your baking pan with parchment paper and place the dough slices about two inches or five centimeters apart.

Bake in your preheated oven until the edges are just brown, about 9 or 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies cool in the pan for several minutes.

Use a spatula to remove them to a serving plate.

Enjoy!

The Creative Cookie Exchange challenge this month was to create a cookie using tea or coffee for flavoring and the group has some great recipes to share. Many thanks to our host this month, Laura of The Spiced Life.

If you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

• Vanilla Rooibos Tea Cookies from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Matcha Green Tea Cream Filled Sugar Cookies from NinjaBaking.com
• Orange Spiced Tea Cookies from A Baker's House
• Chocolate Espresso White Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Mocha Viennese Swirl Cookies from Baking Yummies
• Hazelnut Espresso Cookies from Basic N Delicious
• Café au Lait Bars from The Spiced Life
• Piped Coffee Butter Cookies from Made with Love
• Chai Chocolate Chip Cookies from Noshing with the Nolands
• Coffee Crisps from Magnolia Days
• Matcha White Chocolate Cookies from It’s Yummi!
• Jasmine Lychee Green Tea Shortbread from Food Lust People Love
• Mocha Meringue Cookies from Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt
• Earl Grey French Macarons with Honey Rose Water Buttercream from Sweet Cinnamon and Honey

If you are a blogger who would like to join us for future Creative Cookie Challenges, send an email to Laura (at) thespicedlife (dot) com with your blog URL and she will add you to our private Facebook group where all the planning and logistics take place.

You are also invited to follow our Pinterest board where you will find links to loads of Creative Cookie recipes from all of our members and Like our public Facebook page.   Happy baking!

The store front. Isn't it adorable? You can like her Facebook page here. Thanks! 

Tea on offer.

Teaware on offer.

Tea in wooden boxes and personally branded tea mixtures.

Black teas with fruit.

More teaware.

Peppermint Bark Shortbread

Shortbread is a great cookie anytime of the year but top it with peppermint bark and, suddenly, it is on top of the make-now list for Christmas cookies. Peppermint Bark Shortbread! What could be better?

This theme for this month’s Creative Cookie Exchange is peppermint so I decided to make one of our family’s favorite Christmas candies, peppermint bark, and combine it with another favorite, buttery shortbread cookies.  Surely, this is what the Christmas angels eat. :)

Ingredients
For the shortbread:
2 cups or 255g flour
3/4 cup or 130g cornflour or cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup or 130g sugar
1 cup or 240g butter

For the peppermint bark:
4.6 oz or 130g peppermint sticks (or about 3/4 cup once shattered)
12 oz or 340g good quality white chocolate
Pinch salt

Method
Preheat your oven to 325°F or 163°C and line your 8x8in or 20x20cm pan with parchment paper.

Melt your butter in a small saucepan and allow to cool.

Combine your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Stir well.

Pour in the melted butter and mix until you have a soft dough.

Press the dough into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Put your peppermint sticks in a Ziploc bag and shatter gently with a small hammer.  You don’t want to crush them completely.

Meanwhile, put your white chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and melt in the microwave by zapping 15-20 minutes each time and stirring well in between.  Once the white chocolate has softened mix in the pinch of salt and all but a small handful of the crushed peppermint sticks and stir well.

Spoon the white chocolate/peppermint mixture on top of your almost cooled shortbread, spread it around and smooth it out.

Sprinkle on the reserved small handful of peppermint shards.  Allow to cool completely and almost harden before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!

If you love peppermint like we love peppermint, this is going to be your favorite Creative Cookie Exchange month:

• Chocolate Peppermint and Chocolate Chip Cookies from Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories 
• Chocolate Peppermint Cookies from Kim at Ninja Baking
• Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies from Holly at A Baker’s House
• Cocoa Peppermint Cookie Bark from Laura at The Spiced Life
• Mint Chocolate Cookies from Jill at Made with Love
• Peppermint Bark Shortbread from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Peppermint Dark Chocolate Drizzled Coconut Macaroons from Felice at All That’s Left Are the Crumbs
• Peppermint French Macarons from Miranda at Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
• Peppermint Mocha Cookies from Sophia at If I Ever Owned a Bakery 

To join in the fun, just complete the steps below:

1. Write a blog post with recipe and original photo. The theme this month is peppermint!  We would like the recipe to be one you’re making for the first time, and photos must be original.
2. Post the Cookie Exchange badge somewhere on your blog so others can join in the fun.

3. Make a good faith effort to visit and comment on the other cookies in the Linky party. We all love cookies so that should be easy!
4. LIKE the Creative Cookie Exchange Facebook Page
5. FOLLOW the Creative Cookie Exchange Pinterest Board:
6. LINK your blog post below using the Linky tool

You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes--be sure to check out our Facebook page, our Pinterest Board, and our monthly posts. You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

Scottish Shortbread for #RandomRecipe Tea Time Treats

Once again, I am taking part in the #RandomRecipe challenge! This month Belleau Kitchen has gotten together with two other fellow food bloggers, Karen and Kate to come up with our theme for this month’s challenge: Tea Time Treats.  So rather than choosing a random recipe from ALL of my cookbooks, I was allowed to choose from the ones I thought would best exemplify tea time food, which for me means British food.  (If I read the instructions correctly.)  Top of my list were Elizabeth David, Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver and their many cookbooks in my collection.  I was delighted when my random choice fell on Jamie’s Great Britain and then, coup of all coups, it opened to Scottish Shortbread.  I was sort of hoping for a savory treat because, as many of you know, I am not a big sweet eater but these biscuits are deliciously simple (only four ingredients!) and not too sweet.  I am, on the other hand, a lover of all things British, including my dear husband, so this challenge was right up my street, as they say on the small island.

Ingredients
1.6 cups or 7 oz (by weight) or 200g flour
Scant 1/4 cup or 50g sugar, plus extra for sprinkling over
Generous 1/2 cup or 125g unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt (This was my addition, because even sweet things need some salt.)

Method
Preheat the oven to 325°F or 170°C.

Mix the flour, sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl.

Cut your butter into pieces and, using a pastry blender, mix it into the dry ingredients.

Once it is almost all mixed in, use your thumb and fingers to make sure that all the lumps of butter are gone.  Jamie says, “Don’t knead it, you just want to pat it down flat,” but I am here to tell you that this was so crumbly that you couldn’t knead it if you wanted to.

Push the crumbs together in the side of the bowl and scrape the resulting lump out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Press it into a flat circle using two hands, one on the outside and one pressing the dough down and out towards your other hand.  Keep going around the circle until it is compact and flat all over.  I couldn't  take a photo with both hands in place, so just put the next two photos together and you'll get the idea.

Left hand holding the side in.

Right hand pressing it flat and pushing the side out.

If it breaks apart, just press it back together but remember, the less you work the dough the lighter and flakier the shortbread will be.

I also crimped the edges, as you can see, but the decorative edge really doesn't show up once baked so just do it if you feel like it.

Gently score lines on the shortbread with a sharp knife, then make some shallow decorative indentations with the tines of a fork.

 Sprinkle over some sugar, then pop the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes.

Keep an eye on it - you want a lovely light golden color.  Mine turned out a little darker than I would have liked, but it was still delicious.  Truly, shortbread is one of the great mysteries of baking. Without leavening of any kind, these delectable treats do turn out light and flakey somehow.  It must be magic.

When it comes out of the oven, cool for just a minute or two and then, using a sharp thin knife, cut through where you scored the shortbread.   After scoring and baking, you are supposed to be able to snap these apart but that has never worked for me and I end up with irregular shortbread and a small pile of crumbs.

Leave to cool completely and then separate the pieces.  Store any leftover shortbread in an airtight container.  If you have a lovely thistle teapot given to you by a dear Scottish friend, this would be the appropriate time to bring it out.  Shortbread is best served with a nice hot cuppa.

Enjoy!

Update:  A couple of days after I made the shortbread, I had guests for dinner.  Taking the simple shortbread a step farther, I dressed it up and called it dessert: a wedge of shortbread, two scoops of store-bought vanilla praline ice cream, all drizzled with warm homemade salted caramel sauce.

To see what other tea time treats have been created for this challenge, please follow these links and scroll to the bottom on their websites:

Belleau Kitchen and Lavender and Lovage