Raisin Shortbread Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Bring the raisins and rum to a boil in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for several hours or overnight. When ready to bake the cookies drain the raisins in a strainer set over a small bowl; use any leftover rum for something else.
• Sift together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the large bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter until it is very soft. Add the sugar and beat well until completely smooth. On low speed gradually add the sifted dry ingredients, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until smooth.
• Stir in the prepared raisins. Transfer the dough to a large piece of wax paper or aluminum foil, wrap, flatten slightly, and refrigerate for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Do not freeze the dough or it will become too firm to roll.
• When ready to bake the cookies adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• Place the dough on lightly floured pastry cloth and turn it over to flour all sides lightly. With a floured rolling pin roll the dough gently only until it is 1/2-inch thick, no thinner!
• Use a plain round cookie cutter about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Dip the cutter in flour before cutting each cookie and cut them as close to each other as possible. When cutting a cookie press the cutter very firmly into the dough and rotate it slightly in order to cut through the raisins. Press the scraps together, chill them, and reroll. Place the cookies 1 to 2 inches apart on unbuttered cookie sheets.
• Bake the cookies for 20 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. Reverse the sheets top to bottom and front to back to insure even browning. With a wide metal spatula transfer the cookies to racks to cool.
• Since these are fragile the author likes to wrap them individually in clear cellophane. However you store them-handle with care.

Steps:

• Combine rum and currants; cover, and let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons rum.
• Beat butter, sugar, and orange zest with a mixer on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and reserved rum, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, coconut, and salt, and beat for 3 minutes. Stir in currants by hand.
• Form dough into 2 logs, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; wrap in parchment, and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove parchment. Slice logs into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and space about 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream sugars and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle. , For filling, in a saucepan, combine the cornstarch, flour and brown sugar. Stir in water until smooth. Add raisins. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir and cook for 3 minutes or until thickened. Cool. , On a floured surface, roll out dough into 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-in.-round cookie cutters. Spoon 2 teaspoons filling on top of half the circles and top each with another circle. Pinch edges together and cut slit in top. , Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Beat together the butter, salt, and vanilla until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour to make a thick dough. With your hands, gather the dough into 2 balls, one a little larger than the other. Flatten the smaller ball of dough into a thin, even layer on the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, as you would a tart shell. (Or use a larger baking sheet with low sides and press the dough into a 9- by 13-inch rectangle.) Spread the raisins evenly over the dough and gently press to embed them. Break the other ball of dough into pieces and distribute them over the raisins. Pressing gently, spread and flatten them to cover all the raisins evenly with a layer of dough. (If the baking dish is shallow enough, you can finish the top with a rolling pin.)
• Beat the egg and use a pastry brush to coat the top of the dough evenly with egg. Slowly drag a fork back and forth across the dough to make a decorative pattern, using the back of the tines. Crisscrossed diagonal lines look quite nice. Bake about 40 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool and cut into 1-by 3-inch rectangular bars.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the flour until well blended, then mix in coconut raisins and pecans (if desired). Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls or logs and place them 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Steps:

• Combine rum and currants in an airtight container; let sit at room temperature overnight. Drain; reserving 2 tablespoons rum.
• Put butter, confectioners' sugar, and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and reserved rum. Beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, coconut, and salt, and beat for 3 minutes. Stir in currants by hand. Divide dough in half and form each into a log about 1/2 inches in diameter; wrap in parchment, and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove dough from parchment; slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
• Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Whisk butter, COOL WHIP and egg in large bowl until blended. Add remaining ingredients; mix well.
• Press onto bottom of 8-inch square pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cut dough into 24 rectangles.
• Bake 20 min. or until lightly browned. Cool completely. Cut into bars, following original cutting lines.

Steps:

• Mix flour, baking powder and sugar; cut in butter as for pie pastry;
• Add beaten egg.
• Keep 1/2 the mixture to sprinkle on top and put remaining half in square cake pan and press down.
• In a saucepan, mix raisins, flour, sugar and salt. Pour boiling water over all and cook over medium heat until thickened. Cool mixture to lukewarm.
• Pour raisin mixture over the cooked mixture.
• Sprinkle with reserved mixture and bake for 1/2 hour at 350.
• Cut in squares while it is cooling.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line 2 baking trays with baking parchment. Pour 50ml/2fl oz boiling water over the raisins and leave to soak for 20 mins until plump. Drain, reserving the liquid.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the oil and sugar. Gradually beat in the egg, along with the reserved water from the raisins, the cinnamon and vanilla extract. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt into the bowl, then add the oats. Finally, mix in the raisins.
• Drop heaped tbsps of the cookie dough onto the baking trays, well spaced apart as they will spread when cooking. Bake for 12-15 mins until golden. Leave to cool on the trays for 10 mins before tucking in, or transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Combine water and raisins in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes; remove from the heat and let cool (do not drain). , Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins. , Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.