Here's the list of things I should be doing more of:
- pleasure baking
- taking pictures of said pleasure baking
- posting aforementioned pleasure baking and related pictures to my blog
Here's a list of things I should do less of:
- watch Law and Order: SVU reruns on Netflix
- drink Diet Coke (that New Year's resolution lasted about two hours)
But Valentine's Day is coming. And I can't possibly abandon you fine folks for another holiday. So today I bring you a recipe so simple that you should e-mail it to your non-cooking partner (for the sake of simplicity, I am going to say the man in your life) and tell him to make these blasted things for Valentine's Day.
Or make them for yourself for Singles Awareness Day, depending on who you are.
These are shortbread sandwiches, and they will be your Valentine...even if that special someone won't.
These are shortbread sandwiches, and they will be your Valentine...even if that special someone won't.
The brilliance of shortbread is it really is THAT easy. Three ingredients go into a traditional Scottish shortbread: butter, sugar and flour. Anything more than that and you're just being all fancy-britches. Your man has no excuse not to make you these cookies for Valentine's Day.
(Except for mine, because that would be cheating.)
Here's what you need:
Strawberry Shortbread Sammies:
3/4 C. butter or margarine, softened
1/4 C. granulated sugar
2 C. APF
6 T. butter, softened
1/2 C. strawberry jam (or whatever you prefer)
1-1 1/2 C. 10x powdered sugar
NOTA BENE: The filling for these sandwiches was something I threw together on the fly, so you may have to add more powdered sugar so it maintains a fluffy consistency.
Preheat your oven to (you guessed it!) 350F.
Cream 3/4 C. butter and sugar in your mixer on medium-high speed until it's fluffy. (Three quarters of a cup of butter is about one and a half sticks, btw.)
Beat in the flour on a lower speed until it is incorporated into your butter-sugar mixture. The dough WILL be crumbly.
Your dough is done. No kidding, it's that easy.
If you want to stick to round cookies, roll the dough into a log and slice it. Don't worry, it will come together with the heat of your hands as you work it.
I chose to make my cookies a little more cutesy, mainly so I could use the super-sweet cookie cutters Mr. Beta's older sister gave me for Christmas. If you want to use cutters, roll the dough out uniformly and cut shapes out until you are out of dough. I let little scraps be round taste-testing cookies.
Put them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. They shouldn't spread much, so you can put them close together. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. Mine took more like 15. Keep an eye on them, as thin cookies burn in a wink.
When the cookies are firm to the touch, remove them from the trays and move them to a cooling rack. While they cool, make the filling.
Blend the butter and jam together in your mixer. My jam was a strawberry jam I made this summer while the berries were in season. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Allow the ingredients to combine on a low speed. When they are mixed, turn the mixer to high speed and allow it to run for a couple of minutes, until the filling has a whipped texture.
Spread a dollop of filling on the back of one cookie and sandwich another on top. Repeat until you're out of cookies.
I did say this was easy, right?
Obviously these aren't just for Valentine's Day, but since this batch was pink and heart shaped, it seemed logical.
A special thanks to Mr. Beta for taking the pictures for this entry. He gets so excited. It's really cute.
Enjoy, my pretties.
Spread the love,
BB
Here's what you need:
Strawberry Shortbread Sammies:
3/4 C. butter or margarine, softened
1/4 C. granulated sugar
2 C. APF
6 T. butter, softened
1/2 C. strawberry jam (or whatever you prefer)
1-1 1/2 C. 10x powdered sugar
NOTA BENE: The filling for these sandwiches was something I threw together on the fly, so you may have to add more powdered sugar so it maintains a fluffy consistency.
Cream 3/4 C. butter and sugar in your mixer on medium-high speed until it's fluffy. (Three quarters of a cup of butter is about one and a half sticks, btw.)
Beat in the flour on a lower speed until it is incorporated into your butter-sugar mixture. The dough WILL be crumbly.
Your dough is done. No kidding, it's that easy.
If you want to stick to round cookies, roll the dough into a log and slice it. Don't worry, it will come together with the heat of your hands as you work it.
I chose to make my cookies a little more cutesy, mainly so I could use the super-sweet cookie cutters Mr. Beta's older sister gave me for Christmas. If you want to use cutters, roll the dough out uniformly and cut shapes out until you are out of dough. I let little scraps be round taste-testing cookies.
Put them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. They shouldn't spread much, so you can put them close together. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. Mine took more like 15. Keep an eye on them, as thin cookies burn in a wink.
When the cookies are firm to the touch, remove them from the trays and move them to a cooling rack. While they cool, make the filling.
Blend the butter and jam together in your mixer. My jam was a strawberry jam I made this summer while the berries were in season. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Allow the ingredients to combine on a low speed. When they are mixed, turn the mixer to high speed and allow it to run for a couple of minutes, until the filling has a whipped texture.Spread a dollop of filling on the back of one cookie and sandwich another on top. Repeat until you're out of cookies.
I did say this was easy, right?
Obviously these aren't just for Valentine's Day, but since this batch was pink and heart shaped, it seemed logical.A special thanks to Mr. Beta for taking the pictures for this entry. He gets so excited. It's really cute.
Enjoy, my pretties.
Spread the love,
BB
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