Tag Archives: shortbread

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Vanilla M&M Shortbread Cookies

8 Comments

Vanilla bean shortbread cookies are even better when there are M&Ms in them! These shortbread cookies are easy to make and delicious to eat. Use pretty pink M&Ms for a Valentine’s Day treat!

Vanilla bean shortbread cookies are even better when there are M&Ms in them!

I love that there are plenty of excuses to bake around Valentine’s Day. Kid’s class parties, sweet treats for friends, and of course something special just for two. I’ve been spreading the love to some neighbors, doormen and even real estate brokers. And you know what, I don’t hear any complaining;-)

These shortbread cookies are easy to make and delicious to eat. Use pretty pink M&Ms for a Valentine’s Day treat!

These cookies are fairly easy to make and appear so simple (while pretty), but I assure you they are anything but boring. The vanilla bean paste adds an extra special flavor element to the buttery shortbread cookie and then of course, there are M&Ms. I don’t know what it is about an M&M cookie that is so appealing but they never, ever disappoint. Make these to spread some Valentine’s Day love in your world.

MM Cookies for your Valentine

5.0 from 1 reviews
Vanilla M&M Shortbread Cookies
 
Save Print
Vanilla bean shortbread cookies are even better when there are M&Ms in them! These shortbread cookies are easy to make and delicious to eat. Use pretty pink M&Ms for a Valentine’s Day treat!
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Makes: 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
  • 227g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 150g (~3/4 cup) granulated sugar
  • 120g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 10 milliliters (2 teaspoons) pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or replace with additional teaspoon of vanilla extract)
  • 2g (1/2 teaspoon) salt
  • 265g (~2 cups) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 320g (1⅓ cups) M&MS
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or slipat; set aside
  3. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy
  4. Add vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste and salt and beat until well combined
  5. Stir in flour; stir in M&Ms
  6. Scoop dough with a medium cookie dough scoop (~2 tablespoons each) onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart
  7. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until very light brown around the edges (bake for less time if looking for a slightly chewier cookie)
  8. Allow cookies to cool on cooling rack
  9. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to one week or in the freezer for up to two months
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Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

You might also like:

Mini M&M Cookies

Mini M&M Cookies

Mega M&M Cookies

Mega M&M Cookies

Salted Brown Butter M&M Cookies

Salted Brown Butter M&M Cookies

Blog, Recipes

Vanilla M&M Shortbread Cookies

4 Comments

Vanilla bean shortbread cookies are even better when there are M&Ms in them! These shortbread cookies are easy to make and delicious to eat. Use pretty pink M&Ms for a Valentine’s Day treat!

Vanilla bean shortbread cookies are even better when there are M&Ms in them!

I love that there are plenty of excuses to bake around Valentine’s Day. Kid’s class parties, sweet treats for friends, and of course something special just for two. I’ve been spreading the love to some neighbors, doormen and even real estate brokers. And you know what, I don’t hear any complaining;-)

These shortbread cookies are easy to make and delicious to eat. Use pretty pink M&Ms for a Valentine’s Day treat!

These cookies are fairly easy to make and appear so simple (while pretty), but I assure you they are anything but boring. The vanilla bean paste adds an extra special flavor element to the buttery shortbread cookie and then of course, there are M&Ms. I don’t know what it is about an M&M cookie that is so appealing but they never, ever disappoint. Make these to spread some Valentine’s Day love in your world.

MM Cookies for your Valentine

Vanilla M&M Shortbread Cookies
 
Save Print
Vanilla bean shortbread cookies are even better when there are M&Ms in them! These shortbread cookies are easy to make and delicious to eat. Use pretty pink M&Ms for a Valentine’s Day treat!
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Makes: 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
  • 227g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 150g (~3/4 cup) granulated sugar
  • 120g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 10 milliliters (2 teaspoons) pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or replace with additional teaspoon of vanilla extract)
  • 2g (1/2 teaspoon) salt
  • 265g (~2 cups) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 320g (1⅓ cups) M&MS
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or slipat; set aside
  3. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy
  4. Add vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste and salt and beat until well combined
  5. Stir in flour; stir in M&Ms
  6. Scoop dough with a medium cookie dough scoop (~2 tablespoons each) onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart
  7. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until very light brown around the edges (bake for less time if looking for a slightly chewier cookie)
  8. Allow cookies to cool on cooling rack
  9. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to one week or in the freezer for up to two months
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Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

You might also like:

Mini M&M Cookies

Mini M&M Cookies

Mega M&M Cookies

Mega M&M Cookies

Salted Brown Butter M&M Cookies

Salted Brown Butter M&M Cookies

Blog, Recipes

Easy Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies

19 Comments

An easy cookie to make with the wonderful flavor of meyer lemons.

Today we are celebrating sweet Caroline’s second virtual baby shower! I adore Caroline and am happy to help her celebrate the birth of baby number two!
Virtual Baby Shower
Today’s shower theme is citrus (one of Caroline’s current cravings!) and I just had to go with the sweet and tart flavors of meyer lemons. They are only around for a couple of months so it’s fun to take advantage of them for baking. I have a couple extras and may have to put together a cocktail or two as well;-)

Easy Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are nice and crips around the edges with a buttery chewy center. There is just enough meyer lemon flavor without overpowering the cookies at all!

*Scroll down to see the other citrus treats*

 

Easy Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies
 
Save Print
An easy cookie to make with the wonderful flavor of meyer lemons.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Makes: 2½ dozen cookies
Ingredients
  • 227g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 150g (~3/4 cup) granulated sugar
  • 120g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
  • ½ tablespoon grated meyer lemon zest (~1 lemon)
  • 29 milliliters / 2 tablespoons meyer lemon juice (~2 lemons)
  • 15 milliliters / 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ½g (1/2 teaspoon) salt
  • 265g (~2 cups) all-purpose flour, sifted
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or slipat; set aside
  3. Cream butter and sugars with lemon zest until light and fluffy
  4. Add lemon juice, vanilla and salt and beat until well combined
  5. Stir in flour
  6. Scoop with a medium cookie dough scoop (2 tablespoons each) onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart
  7. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until very light brown around the edges
  8. Allow cookies to cool on cooling rack
  9. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to one week or in the freezer for up to two months
Notes
Barely adapted from these lemon cookies
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See what else is being shared for the shower!

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

Blog, Recipes

Cranberry Apple Shortbread Bars

24 Comments

An easy last minute dessert recipe for Thanksgiving. These cranberry apple shortbread bars are a delicious holiday treat.

Cranberry Apple Shortbread Bars - an easy last minute Thanksgiving dessert!

I love any excuse to use this shortbread recipe. It’s seriously buttery, slightly chewy and lightly crispy on the outside. Plus, the basic flavor lends itself to almost any type of filling. I’ve done Meyer Lemon Shorbread Bars, Blueberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars and even adapted it into an Easy Lemon Shortbread Cookie. I kind of wish I didn’t love it so much because… well, so.much.butter., but I just can’t help myself.

For the holidays I thought it was time to break out the shortbread recipe and layer it with a seasonal fruit filling.   I’ve always loved apples and cranberries together and they work really well here. Both fruits are on the tart side so it isn’t a super sweet filling, but sometimes you actually want a dessert that doesn’t kill you with an overwhelming sensation of “hello, sugar.”

Cranberry Apple Shortbread Bars - need to make for Thanksgiving!

These bars were one of the last desserts I made pre-baby. After eating an entire row of them (whoops, that’s what 39 weeks plus will do to you), I froze the rest to save for the bris or baby visitors. They defrosted wonderfully and now I wish I had more!

Cranberry Apple Shortbread Bars -the filling/shortbread combo is so good

Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away but this recipe is easy enough to add in as a last minute treat. Make them tomorrow or Wednesday and they will be perfect for serving on Thursday. Just make sure they are stored in the pan and tightly wrapped with foil or removed and tightly wrapped that way.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Cranberry Apple Shortbread Bars
 
Save Print
An easy last minute dessert recipe for Thanksgiving. These cranberry apple shortbread bars are a delicious holiday treat.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Makes: 24-30 servings
Ingredients
  • Dough
  • 530g (~4 cups) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 454g (2 cups) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 240g (1 ½ cups) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 200g (~1 cup) granulated sugar, separated
  • 15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) vanilla extract
  • Filling
  • 360g (4 cups) fresh cranberries (frozen will likely work, filling cooking time may differ)
  • 100g (~½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 59 milliliters (2 fluid ounces) water
  • 8g (1 tablespoon) cornstarch
  • 5g (1 teaspoon) minced ginger
  • 2g (1 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
  • 340g (~3 cups / 2 medium) chopped apples (I prefer to use a crisp apple like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Line a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper so that some parchment paper hangs over sides and set aside
  3. Beat butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy; mix in vanilla until well-combined
  4. Stir in flour just until combined
  5. Press half of the dough into prepared baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown; shape remaining dough into a disk and wrap tightly with seran wrap; chill in refrigerator
  6. While bottom layer is cooking, prepare filling
  7. Combine cranberries, granulated sugar, water, cornstarch, ginger and nutmeg in a heavy duty saucepan over medium heat; stir occasionally and let mixture cook until fruit has formed a thick jam-like consistency (cranberries will be very soft but some still whole), about 8 minutes
  8. Remove from heat and fold in chopped apples
  9. Pour fruit filling over crust; remove remainder of dough from refrigerator and use all of it by dropping large crumbs over fruit layer so that the layer is completely covered
  10. Place back into oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until edges are very lightly golden brown and top feels set / firm
  11. Set aside to cool before cutting into bars and serving
Notes
Shortbread recipe from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
Filling adapted from Blueberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars
These bars are not overly sweet at all, the sweetness is mostly in the shortbread and the fruit filling adds a tart balance
Store tightly wrapped at room temperature up to two days or freeze for up to one month
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Cranberry Apple Shortbread Bars - so pretty for the holidays

Make something from the blog? Be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #KeepItSweetDesserts.

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Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Brown Butter Cookies

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Blog, Recipes

Blueberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars

44 Comments

Blueberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars

This was one of those weeks where I should be thankful I made it to Friday alive.  400 cookies for a local event, lots of packages, business development when I could fit it in and excitement over all that my friend Rachel has done for me (see here and here).

Blueberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars

And somehow, luckily, I was able to fit these beautiful bars into the mix!  Rhubarb is such a wonderful summer fruit for baking but this was actually my first time using it.  For some reason those stalks had intimidated me up until now.  But don’t be afraid, all you have to do is chop them up, cook them down and you are on your way to something delicious.

Blueberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars

In this case, the rhubarb filling got a vibrant boost from some fresh blueberries I picked up the other day.  They aren’t quite in season but they looked so good I couldn’t resist.  Besides, the rhubarb filling is lovely, but the color and additional flavor punch from the blueberries is a welcome addition.  All baked into one of my favorite shortbread bar recipes these bars are very hard to resist.

Blueberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars

I taste tested an entire edge of the pan and then quickly wrapped the rest of the bars and stuck them in the freezer for an upcoming party.  If I had not done that, I think I would have gotten myself into trouble.  Head over to Fox for the recipe!

Blog, Recipes

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Bars

65 Comments

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Bars

By now you have probably seen a fair share of meyer lemon recipes.  It’s like meyer lemons are the new salted caramel lemon*.

Since I’m so picky when it comes to lemon desserts, I have to get really excited about an idea or recipe before trying it.  Well, it just so happens that a few months ago, I had an amazing lemon bar with a buttery crumb topping that I’ve wanted to replicate ever since.  It was moist and rich with the perfect balance of crumb topping to tangy lemon filling that just melted in your mouth.  Instead of playing with a regular crumb topping recipe, though, I thought I’d test out my favorite shortbread bar and swap out the filling for a meyer lemon layer instead.

The result- exactly as I had hoped.  If you like the flavor of meyer lemons and enjoy perfect buttery shortbread, you will love these.

Let’s be real, it is still a lemon.

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Bars

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Bars
Serves 12

Shortbread Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2  cups granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Filling Ingredients:
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon grated meyer lemon zest (1 to 2 lemons)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice (~ 1 lemon)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325
Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside
Sift flour; set aside
Beat butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy; mix in vanilla until will combined
Stir in flour just until combined
Press half of the dough in to prepared dish and bake for about 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown; shape remaining dough into a disk and wrap tightly with seran wrap; chill in refrigerator
When bottom layer is done, set aside to cool and prepare filling
Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour; pour over crust
Bake crust and filling for 20-25 minutes or until filling is starting to set
Remove from oven and top with remaining dough but crumbling dough into pieces and distributing evenly over filling
Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes or until top of crumbs is golden brown
Store bars in refrigerator but are best brought to room temperature before serving

Shortbread recipe from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey; Filling adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Meyer Lemon Shortbread Bars

On another note, I impulsively bought my meyer lemons at Costco.  Some of them were used in these bars and a couple of others went into a scallop marinade.  I still have quite a few left, what should I do with them?

Blog, Recipes

Easy Lemon Shortbread Cookies

73 Comments

Lemon Shortbread Cookies 12

So here’s the thing.  I used to hate lemon desserts. And I used to hate shortbread. But that was when I thought all lemon desserts tasted like the filling to lemon meringue pie (still grosses me out) and all shortbread was boring and flavorless.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies 14

But at some point in the last couple of years, something clicked.  And while it would do my body good to become more picky about what range of desserts I will eat, my palate started to appreciate those two categories of sweets.

Some things can have a lovely lemon flavor but they don’t have to be sickeningly sweet.  Shortbread can be chewy and buttery and wonderful.  Who knew?

Lemon Shortbread Cookies 10

So when I had a minor baking mishap in the kitchen a few weeks ago and ended up half-way to shortbread dough, it occurred to me that I didn’t need to throw away the pound of butter that I’d already creamed.  Instead, I should make lemons out of lemonade take advantage of the ingredients I had on hand and make something else.

The end result was a pleasant surprise.  Chewy shortbread cookies with just the right amount of lemon- not overpowering, but refreshing.  And refreshing is good when biting into a rich shortbread cookie.

If you want an even stronger lemon flavor, you could probably add some lemon zest to your batter.  But I’m still easing into this lemon dessert thing so I’ll stop while I’m ahead.
Easy Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Yield: Makes 5 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
4 cups all purpose flour
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons lemon juice (~3 lemons)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cooking Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or slipat; set aside
Sift flour; set aside
Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy
Add lemon juice, vanilla and salt and beat until well combined
Stir in flour
Scoop with a medium cookie dough scoop (2 tablespoons each) onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart
Bake for ~15 minutes or until very light brown around the edges
Allow cookies to cool on cooling rack

Lemon Shortbread Cookies 2

What type of dessert did you used to hate but learn to love?

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Blog

Twix Gone Wrong

37 Comments

For Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be fun for Matt and me to make a homemade version of one of his favorite candies, Twix Bars.  I’d seen a ton of great-looking recipes around the blog world and thought it would be a good idea to take ideas from them but make my own version.  You can see different examples of homemade Twix Bars on Mangio Da Sola, Hoosier Homemade, Chocolate and Carrots, and Not Without Salt.

I started with the Mangio Da Sola shortbread crust, easy enough

shortbread crust

I thought that using packaged caramels would be a really easy shortcut for the middle layer; I guess I forgot how hard they get so quickly

caramels

Topped the caramel with salt, because I am kind of obsessed with that combination

caramel salt layer

And then melted milk chocolate; here you really can’t go wrong

chocolate layer

The first problem was getting the bars out of the pan; the shortbread was too crumbly and cutting through the caramel was tough

done 1

I think a foil-lined pan would have been better

done 8

These would have been so much better with a layer of caramel sauce or filling, instead of melted caramel candies (unless breaking a tooth is your goal)

done 5

We tried to eat them but it just wasn’t worth it, I may have eaten the entire layer of milk chocolate off the top… wasting chocolate is just wrong!

done 6

Have you had any desserts gone wrong recently?

Blog, Recipes

Chocolate Cherry Maple Cookies

37 Comments

*Check out the ask me anything post, good questions coming in so far

**Check out the discussion on my Vegan Challenge in the Comments section

After the successful Lemon Pound Cake, I figured I should try a few other desserts with different flavor profiles.  Don’t worry, I’ll always come back to my true love peanut butter and chocolate, but in the mean time, I’ll entertain the idea that other combinations can taste good too!

Recently I was in search for something that would be easy enough to make on a weeknight and freeze well so that I wouldn’t eat waste all of the leftovers.  I found a recipe in this cookbook and adapted it to make Chocolate Cherry Maple Cookies.  I used semi-sweet chocolate chunks to get a big blast of flavor, but not too much chocolate because I didn’t want to overpower the cookie.  The dried cherries add a slightly tart contrast to the cookie as well.

Chocolate Cherry Maple Cookies

The cookie dough isn’t overly sweet but it has a nice hint of maple flavor.  Their texture is in-between shortbread and butter cookies and they are a little bit addicting as a result.  These cookies would make a great addition any dessert platter.

To begin, combine butter, sugar and syrup in a mixer

butter sugar syrup

Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes

butter sugar syrup mixed

Then, add the egg and vanilla; beat well

add egg and vanilla

Once well-combined, slowly add the flour while mixer is on low speed

adding flour

Then stir in chocolate and cherries

adding chocolate and cherries

cookie dough

Once dough is mixed, split dough into two sections and roll each up in saran wrap

dough rolled up

Refrigerate for several hours or overnight

Chocolate Cherry Maple Cookies

Slice logs of dough into cookies about 1/4 inch thick Chocolate Cherry Maple Cookies

Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 10-12 minutesChocolate Cherry Maple Cookies

Cookies will be just slightly darker and firm to the touch when done

Chocolate Cherry Maple Cookies

[print_this]

Chocolate Cherry Maple Cookies

Makes ~30 cookies

Adapted from the Lindt Chocolate Passion Recipe Book

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 heaping tablespoons maple syrup

1 large egg at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

1/3 cup dried cherries

Directions:

Combine butter, sugar and syrup in a mixer; beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes

Add the egg and vanilla; beat well

Once well-combined, slowly add the flour while mixer is on low speed

Stir in chocolate and cherries

Once dough is mixed, split it into two sections and form logs with diameters of about 2 1/2 inches; wrap each tightly with saran wrap

Refrigerate for several hours or overnight

Once ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Slice logs of dough into cookies about 1/4 inch thick

Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 10-12 minutes

Cookies will be just slightly darker than dough and firm to the touch when done

Notes:

I made the dough one night and baked the cookies the next.  You could easily freeze the dough for several weeks prior to baking if needed.

You may want to consider chopping the cherries into smaller pieces to get them more spread-out through the dough. That would work well if you want cherry in every bite.

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Chocolate Cherry Maple Cookies

What new flavors have you tried lately?