Posts Tagged ‘Cookie’

Easter Bunny Butter Shortbread Cookies With Lemon Drizzle

Posted: March 31, 2013 in Fan/Other's Easy Recipes
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Easter Bunny Butter Shortbread Cookies

The best memories I have of baking especially at Easter is coming into the kitchen after school and smelling and seeing what my mom had baked. My favourite cookie that my mum would make is the butter shortbread cookie which I will share with you here today.These butter shortbread cookies are super easy to make and decorate and are far better to make homemade vs store-bought cookies.

My mum used to make these amazing double shortbread cookies which are two pieces of shortbread loaded with jam in the middle and icing on top. We always used to fight over those when we were kids just because they were doubled up and stuffed cookies.

After moving to Canada I had to get this shortbread recipe from mum so I could bake it with my kids, which is actually my grandma’s recipe. I love lemon and so does my family which is why I created this shortbread cookie with lemon drizzle. My youngest Rhia is the helper to decorate the cookies even though she eats more than the actual decorating.

Of course there is always a fight to see who gets to finish off the lemon drizzle icing or to have the first taste of these butter shortbread cookies. Seeing the joy in my children’s eyes reminds me of when I was a child. I always make sure there is enough to go around for all of my family. Between you and I though, I always have the last one, it’s called a bakers privilege in our house. My mums coconut squares which she makes from potatoes, and her millionaires shortbread which is a shortbread cookie, then caramel topped off with chocolate are two other cookies I miss from back home in Scotland.

How to make the perfect shortbread?

Making shortbread really is an easy no fail recipe as long as you follow the directions. I was taught the secret to making the perfect shortbread is by going slow and easy with your dough. If you don’t have patience it will crumble but you can correct that by using the heat from your hands to mould the cookie dough again. It’s all worth it in the end for the buttery, crumbly biscuit of shortbread.

I make shortbread cookies all year round for my family because they enjoy them and to include the kids to create lasting memories of baking with their mum that can go on for generations. Shortbread cookies are also great with strawberries and cream or you can dip half  the shortbread in chocolate for the chocolate lovers out there. Whichever way you choose to eat your shortbread cookies the best part is that it’s a very versatile cookie

I hope you all enjoy -Nicola Don

 Cookie Cost Breakdown 
  • Corn Starch – $1.78 for 1 tub cornstarch can check
  • $3.49 for 1 1lb block butter
  • $3.29 Icing sugar 2lb bag
  • $7.97 All-Purpose Flour 10kg bag
  • $1 for 2 Lemons
Preheat Oven: Bake in 300 deg F (150 deg C) oven for 15-120 mins or until edges browned.  Cool on wire rack before decorating.
Yield: Makes approx. 24 cookies depending on how big you want them and what size of cutter you use.
Grandma’s Butter Shortbread Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cornflour (starch) 125ml
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar 125ml
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (plain flour) 250ml
  • 3/4 cup of softened butter (175ml) room temperature is best.
  • 1 lemon rind finely grated (keep back some rind for the icing drizzle and keep all the juice) (you may want 2 lemons depending on how much lemon flavour you want in the cookie and the drizzle)
 Preparation

Butter Shortbread Dough

  • Sift together corn starch, icing sugar, and flour with wooden spoon
  • I usually get in there with my hands to feel the texture and blend in the butter and the lemon rind (keep some of the lemon rind back for icing if you are doing the drizzle) until soft, smooth dough forms.
  • If dough is too soft to handle, cover and chill for 30-60 mins.

Easter Bunny Shortbread ready for oven wm

  • Either roll small balls then flatten with a lightly floured fork then place 11/2″ (4cm) apart on ungreased cookie sheet; OR 
  • With a rolling-pin, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface by using the palm of your hand first as the heat will make it easier to flatten to 1/4″ (6mm) cut into shapes with cookie cutters. I used the rabbit shape here for Easter
  • Decorate whatever way you want or use a lemon icing drizzle like I have

Easter Bunny Butter Shortbread Baked

Lemon Icing Drizzle

Lemon Drizzle Icing

  • 1 whole lemon for juice (for making the most of the juice of a lemon put in the microwave for about 45 seconds which lets out more juice)
  • Mix in 4-5 tablespoons of icing sugar
  • Combine all ingredients until it’s quite thick
  • Taste to see how sharp it is you may need to add more icing sugar
  • Then place in a ziplock bag, snip a small end of the bag and ice your cookies  
  • What I do is have it quite thick first to go round the edges then let it dry 
  • With the leftover icing I put it back into the bowl add more lemon or water to thin it down slightly then ice the inside as this will prevent icing from going all over the place
Decorated Easter Bunny Butter Shortbread 

Butter Shortbread with Lemon Drizzle

 Butter Shortbread with Lemon Drizzle

Decorated Butter Shortbread Bunnies

Easter Giveaway- Canada Only- Share your Favourite Easter Memory in the Comment section followed by #CBB to be entered. Make sure you use the email address you want me to contact you at if you are the random winner. Winner gets an envie of Canadian Coupons. Contest closes Monday April 1, 2013 at noon EST! Good Luck.

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Reader Question: Homemade or Store Bought~ Which is Cheaper?

Posted: November 21, 2012 in Reader Questions
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rolling dough

Mr. CBB has paid me the compliment of inviting me to help answer a reader’s question:

A question I would love to have feedback on from you and your fans is: How do you know when it’s less expensive to make homemade baked goods or buy it pre-made at the store? I’m on a tight budget and I hesitate to try recipes only to find out it’s more expensive with the ingredients and electricity amongst other things. I am sure it’s more nutritious to make my own but right now it’s financial.

The short answer is that bakery goods have among the highest mark up in the grocery store, so home baking is almost always more affordable than an equivalent purchase from the store.

In reality, though, there are some factors that need to be considered, especially if you’re on a tight budget. If you are not already a baker, you’ll need to have some basic equipment on hand to bake and you’ll also need the ingredients called for in the recipe.

My advice?

Do bake at home and make homemade. You’ll recoup your initial investment in ingredients and equipment very quickly.

Tips on getting started with home baking inexpensively

  • Keep your equipment purchases to a minimum, buying only the pans you’ll need.  If your initial plan is to make granola bars and cookies, purchase only a cookie sheet and a rectangular baking pan (if you need it for the bars).  Do spend the money to buy good quality pans.  You’ll be using them again and again. You’ll always need measuring spoons, and measuring cups so do spend money to buy them too but check inexpensive outlets like the dollar store to find them at the lowest price.
  • For the rest of the equipment, make do with what you might already have on hand. If you don’t have a large enough mixing bowl on hand, look around for another item you can use in its place. Do you have a large saucepan?  If you don’t have a wooden spoon, use a serving spoon instead.
  • Begin with a couple of recipes that you know your family will enjoy and that share several common ingredients.  For example, if you’re planning to bake granola bars then oatmeal cookies of some sort would be a good second recipe.
  • If you have no baking ingredients on hand, begin by purchasing small amounts of ingredients until you’ve figured out which recipes your family likes and which recipes you’ll be making over and over.  You can minimize the expense involved in getting started with your first recipe by taking measuring cups and spoons to the store and portioning only the exact amount of ingredients you’ll need from the bulk bins. If the ingredients you need aren’t available in bulk, purchase small packages (unless they are things you know you’ll use for purposes other than baking).
  • If a recipe calls for an expensive ingredient or one that you don’t often use, consider a substitution.  For example, I have several recipes that call for pine nuts. Pine nuts are very expensive so I use sunflower seeds instead.

TIP: If a recipe calls for an expensive ingredient and you can’t make a less expensive substitution, don’t make the recipe.

Once you’re into the swing of homemade baking and have some idea about what your family likes – and what you like to make – begin buying your ingredients in larger quantities. Once you begin stocking up on flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices, raisins, etc. you’ll start to see an even greater savings.

Good luck and have fun. You’ll love baking homemade in your kitchen once you get started along with saving money.

Guest Post Bio:  Aunt B’s family jokes that she started writing because she just doesn’t know when to be quiet!  In truth, her blogs grew out of a long illness and helped her to keep in touch with the world around her.  She’s interested in everything, and shares her interests at Aunt B on a Budget, A Word from Aunt B, B on Balance  and B-Attitude.

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