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Shortbread
Cookies: In
a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the salt.
In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle
attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter
until smooth and creamy (about 1
minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture
and beat just until incorporated.
Divide the dough
in half and then roll each half
between two sheets of parchment or wax paper until it is about 1/4 inch (.6 cm)
thick. As you roll, periodically check the top and bottom sheets of parchment
and smooth out any wrinkles. Place the dough on a baking sheet (along with the
parchment paper) and place in the refrigerator until firm (about
30-60 minutes).
Cut
the chilled shortbread into rounds or
other shapes using a lightly floured 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) round cookie
cutter. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm)
apart. Gather up the scraps and re-roll.
Put the cookies in the refrigerator
(this will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when
baked).
Meanwhile
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with the rack in the
center of the oven.
Bake
the cookies for about 15
minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned
(the longer the cookies bake the more crisp they will be). Cool on a wire rack
before dipping in the melted chocolate.
Chocolate
Dipped Shortbreads: Place 3 ounces (90 grams) of the
chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of barely simmering water.
Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat. Add the remaining
finely chopped chocolate and stir with a heatproof spatula until the chocolate has completely melted and is
smooth and glossy. Then, taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookie in
the melted chocolate. Place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once all
the cookies have been dipped in the chocolate, place the baking sheets in the
refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.
Shortbread cookies with keep
in an airtight container for about a week or they can be frozen.
Makes about 28 - 2
1/2 inch (6.5 cm)
shortbread cookies.
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