Espresso Shortbread Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Butter an 8 1/2-inch cake or springform pan; set aside. Sift together flour and salt into a small bowl; set aside. Place butter in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Cream until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, about 2 minutes more. Add vanilla, if using. Dissolve 2 tablespoons espresso powder in 1 teaspoon hot water. Add mixture to creamed butter-and-sugar mixture with vanilla, before adding flour. Add flour mixture, and combine on low speed, scraping with spatula if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
• Pat dough into prepared pan. If rolling out dough to cut into shapes, form into a flat disk; wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Roll dough out 1/4 inch thick. Cut into ovals with 2-inch cutter. Score a line down the middle with the back of a knife; chill.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake until firm, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Dissolve espresso powder in hot water. Prepare basic shortbread, adding espresso to creamed butter mixture along with vanilla extract before adding flour mixture. Form dough into a disk; wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight). Roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds. Score a line down the middle of each with the back of a knife; refrigerate for 20 minutes. Bake until firm, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water. Set the extract aside to cool to lukewarm or room temperature.
• Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon, if you're using it, together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed, until well blended.
• Mix in the vanilla and espresso extract on low speed. Turn off the mixer, add the flour all at once and pulse to begin incorporating it, then mix on low speed until the flour almost disappears into the dough. Scrape down the bowl, add the chopped chocolate and mix until evenly distributed. Give the dough a few last turns with a sturdy flexible spatula.
• Turn the dough out onto the counter and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk. Working with one piece of dough at a time, sandwich it between pieces of parchment paper and roll it to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Slide the dough, still sandwiched, onto a baking sheet-you can stack the slabs-and freeze the dough for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Getting ready to bake:
• Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 325ºF. Butter or spray a regular muffin tin, or two tins, if you've got them. Have a 2-inch-diameter cookie cutter at hand.
• Working with one sheet of dough at a time, peel away both pieces of paper and put the dough back on one piece of paper. Cut the dough and drop the rounds into the muffin tin(s).
• The dough might not fill the molds completely, but it will once baked. Save the scraps from both pieces of dough, then gather them together, re-roll, chill and cut.
• Bake the cookies for 18 to 20 minutes, or until they feel firm to the touch and have some color. Transfer the muffin tin(s) to a rack and leave the cookies in the tin(s) for about 10 minutes before carefully lifting them out onto the rack to cool completely.
• Continue with the remainder of the dough, if you only baked one sheet, always using cool tins.
• Playing Around
• For Ringed Espresso-Chocolate Sablés: If you have 2-inch baking rings, use them to cut out the rolled dough. Bake the dough-in the rings-on lined baking sheets just as you would the muffin-tin cookies. Leave the rings in place for at least 20 minutes before lifting them off, rinsing and reusing.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• First, cream the butter and sugar together until it's light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and mix for about 30 seconds. Then add the flour and espresso powder and mix until dough is smooth, about 1 minute.
• Spray a 9"x9" pan with cooking spray and scatter the ground espresso across the bottom of the pan. Gently press dough evenly into the espresso covered pan. Place pan into the top part of the oven and bake until shortbread is set, about 17 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 15 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, score the top of the still warm short bread. Cut in 2" squares(or how you like). Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto a cutting board. Give a sharp rap and the shortbread will release from the pan. Let it cool aobut 10 more minutes and slice along the scored lines. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix for 30 seconds. Next add the flour and espresso powder and mix until the dough is smooth, about 1 minute.
• Spray the shortbread pan with cooking spray and scatter the ground espresso across the bottom of the pan. Gently press the dough evenly into the espresso covered pan. Place the pan into the top half of the oven and bake until the shortbread is set, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes.
• Using a sharp paring knife score the top of the still warm but cooling short bread. Cut in any size you prefer, we like 2 inch squares. Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto a cutting board. Give 1 sharp rap and the shortbread will release from the pan. Let cool an additional 10 minutes and slice along the scored lines.

Steps:

• In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, beat the butter with the flat paddle attachment on the medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar gradually and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated. Scrape the soft dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and gather together into a ball. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll out. You may chill it overnight; just let it soften a bit at room temperature before proceeding. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with a cookie cutter of your choice. These baking instructions are for 3-inch cookies. If you make small cookies, reduce the baking time, larger cookies will require a longer baking time. Reroll any extra dough and cut out as many cookies as possible. Transfer the cookies to the prepared pans, keeping them at least 1-inch apart. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans front to back halfway through the baking time. These cookies are so dark that it is impossible to see if they are beginning to color. Use the time suggested and check to see if the edges and bottoms are completely dry. You should be able to lift a cookie up with a spatula to peek at the bottom; the cookie should be baked enough to remain stiff and not break. Set the pans directly on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cookies to the rack and cool completely. The sheet pans must be cooled completely between uses, but you will probably be able to reuse the parchment. The cookies are best eaten within 1 week; store them at room temperature in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Sift together the dry ingredients (except the sugar) -- flour through espresso powder -- in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, three to four tablespoons at a time beating well. Stir in dry ingredients by hand and beat just until blended.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into three equal balls. Take the first ball, place it between two sheets of plastic wrap, and pat or roll out into a 5 1/2 inch disk. Place on the far side of your baking sheet. Lightly score the disk and mark out 8 triangular wedges.
• Repeat the patting, rolling and scoring for the other two disks, placing one on the other side of the first baking sheet and the third disk on the second baking sheet.
• Bake rounds for 23 minutes or until shortbread feels firm to the touch. Remove from the oven.
• Gently score each round again with a sharp knife following the lines you make on the dough. Slide parchment from baking sheets onto wire racks. Let shortbread cool completely on parchment. Cut shortbread into wedges along scored lines.
• Melt unsweetened chocolate baking bars separately in small bowls according to package directions. You can do this in a microwave or on the stove using a double boiler. Partially dip wide end of each shortbread wedge in unsweetened chocolate. Place on a wax paper-lined jelly-roll pan, and freeze briefly to set chocolate. (Alternately, if your house is cool you can let it set on it's own.)
• Melt the white chocolate. Then partially dip other half of wide end of each wedge in white chocolate. Alternately, you can place in a plastic bag and stripe the cookies. Freeze briefly to set white chocolate or allow to air dry.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend flour, brown sugar, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon espresso powder and salt in processor. Add butter and vanilla. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add nuts; blend until finely chopped. Transfer dough to floured work surface. Knead just until dough comes together.
• Divide dough in half. Press each half into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Bake until deep golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer shortbread to rack; cool 2 minutes. Remove pan sides.
• Cut each shortbread round into 24 wedges. Cool completely.
• Mix 2 tablespoons hot water and remaining 1 teaspoon espresso powder in small saucepan. Add chocolate. Stir over medium-low heat until chocolate is smooth. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate mixture over cookies. Let stand until chocolate sets. (Can be prepared ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month.)