Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, chunked
- 1/8 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cup pastry flour
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup minced raisins
- 1 cup minced pecans
- 1 tsp fresh ground black peppercorn
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Cream together butter and sugar in stand mixer until fluffy.
- Mix in vanilla extract, cornstarch, and flour.
- Stir in raisins, pecans, and peppercorn. The finer you mince the raisins and pecans the better your shortbread will stick together!
- If you want to cut custom shapes or use a cookie cutter, chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling it out into a sheet about 1/2 inch thick. Cool in the fridge again before attempting to cut.
- For circular cookies, roll dough into 2 oz balls and use a fork to push the balls down into discs about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Watch the cookies closely and take them out the minute any edges start to brown. I find that freezing the cookie sheet beforehand helps with spreading.
- Cool thoroughly before attempting to dip.
Chocolate Dip
Ingredients
- 1 tbs butter
- 6 oz dark chocolate (70% or higher)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 ginger root, sliced
Directions
- Heat the cream in a saucepan over low heat and stir in cinnamon and ginger. Let steep on very very low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- In a double boiler or nonstick saucepan over low heat, break the chocolate and mix in butter and the cream (without the ginger). Stir frequently to avoid burning or sticking.
- When the chocolate is runny, it is ready for dipping! If it cools too much during the process, return to heat for a couple minutes.
Assembly
Carefully dip the cookies as desired into the chocolate mixture. Shortbread is relatively brittle and can break if the chocolate is too cool. Cool completely on wax paper– this will take at least several hours at room temperature and about an hour in the fridge.
