Char’s Two-Way Holiday Shortbread

Shortbread cookies might be one of my favourite things about Christmastime. Joy to my world = eating copious amounts of buttery shortbread cookies. As much as I LOVE a traditional whipped shortbread, I also like to play around with different flavours too. The best part about this recipe? You end up with two different flavours:

~ Toasted Coconut & White Chocolate
~ Chocolate, Rosemary & Orange with Flaky Salt

Note: If you want to make just one flavour, simply double the add-ins for that flavour and prepare as instructed.

Shortbread Base

*note: if beating the butter and icing sugar with cake beaters (which I prefer), I suggest using a rubber spatula to mix ingredients together slightly first – this will help prevent the icing sugar from flying everywhere when you begin to beat it. And the same goes for the additional dry ingredients, I suggest stirring them slightly into the whipped butter and icing sugar first, then beating all ingredients together.

• 1 cup (250 mL) softened butter (I like salted)
• ½ cup (125 mL) icing sugar
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups (375 mL) flour
• ½ cup (125 mL) cornstarch
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

Method

1. Beat together butter, icing sugar and vanilla for about one minute until fluffy (alternatively, you can cream ingredients together by hand using a rubber spatula).
2. Add flour, cornstarch and salt and beat together until well combined (about 30 seconds).
3. Divide mixture in half (you can eyeball it *it does not have to be exact) and add the below ingredients to each half and mix until well combined (note: each below flavour uses half of base dough).
4. Place two pieces of parchment paper (about 12-inches each) out on a flat surface and form each shortbread half into an (approx) 6-inch log. Roll the parchment paper up and around each log. Twist the ends (see picture below). Chill for at least 1 hour.
5. When ready to bake, remove cookie logs from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior and preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C).
6. Unwrap each log and using a sharp knife cut each log into approx 12 cookies. Place cookies on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper (approx 2 inches apart). Bake in the center of the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on baking sheet.
7. Once completely cooled, garnish cookies as directed below.
8. Makes 24 cookies (12 of each flavour).
9. Cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days (but they won’t last that long!!), or can be frozen for up to 2 months

Toasted Coconut & White Chocolate

One of the most popular recipes in ‘Delicious & Doable’ is my Coconut White Chocolate Blondies….so why not turn that flavour combo into a shortbread cookie, right? OMG, these Coconut White Chocolate Shortbread’ might blow your mind!

*note: ideally coconut should be toasted as it adds a bit more flavour and I think it looks pretty too – but if toasting coconut is too much work (you can purchase toasted coconut at bulk food stores too btw), untoasted coconut will work fine too.

• ⅓ cup (75 mL) toasted coconut
• ⅓ cup (75 mL) finely chopped white chocolate (or mini white chocolate chips) – approx 3 oz
• ½ tsp (2 mL) coconut extract

Garnish:

~ melted white chocolate (about 4 oz) and additional toasted coconut about ¾ cup (175 mL).

Dip the top of each cookie into melted white chocolate and then into toasted coconut. Place back on the baking sheet and chill for about 15 minutes until the white chocolate and coconut have set.the

Dark Chocolate, Rosemary & Orange with Flaky Salt

I absolutely love the combo of chocolate + rosemary + orange together. Hope you love this festive flavour combo as much as I do.

• ½ cup (125 mL) dark chocolate chips, melted
• 4 tsp (20 mL) finely chopped fresh rosemary (for easy measuring: 1 tbsp + 1 tsp = 4 tsp)
• 2 tsp (10 mL) finely grated orange zest (about zest of 1 large orange)

Note: when adding in the melted chocolate you can stir (or beat) it until it’s just combined – it’s okay if it has a bit of a ‘marbled look’.

Garnish:

~ melted dark chocolate (about 3 oz) and flaky sea salt.

Drizzle each cookie with melted chocolate and sprinkle each cookie with a little flaky salt and chill for about 15 minutes until chocolate has set.

Where to Find ‘Delicious & Doable’ Across Ontario

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Chef’s Paradise ~ 1314 Bank Street, Ottawa
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Creative Cook ~ 35 Manitoba St, Bracebridge
Muskoka Brewery ~ 1964 Muskoka Beach Rd, Bracebridge
Stephen’s Butcher Shop ~ 8 Harris St, Port Carling
Hilltop Interiors ~ 1150 ON-141, Rosseau
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Clark’s On Main ~ 1090 Main Street, Dorset
Bigley’s Cottage Kitchen ~ 39 Bolton St, Bobcaygeon
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