Posts Tagged ‘Flour’

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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Spooky Frugal Halloween Fun! Mr.CBB’s Scary Witch Finger Cookies!

Posted: October 28, 2012 in Mr.CBB's Easy Treats
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
18

Mr.CBB's Scary Witch Finger Cookies

Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead.. and Halloween is just around the corner! If you are looking for an easy cookie recipe that is fun and frugal this is the one. With so many Halloween parties happening in October this scary quick cookie recipe will be a hit for any party whether with your friends or co-workers. These are also great little treats to send with the kids to school or day care if they are permitted. You can’t buy these cookies around where I live but they are so cheap to make. I would say all said and done not including time and hydro they cost us around $5.00 to make. That’s not bad for a yield of just over 36 cookies. The best part is they are fun to make and making these with the kids, well you can’t buy memories can you now.

The ingredients in these cookies are basic ingredients although the almonds, almond and vanilla extract and red decorator gel are something you might have to head to a bulk store to pick up. Believe it or not the bulk barn actually the cheapest price on the almonds and decorator gel. If you can get your hands on the Spend $10 save $3.00 coupon it will make this recipe even cheaper to bake up which we did.

Mrs. CBB has made this simple witch finger cookie recipe at Halloween for about 10 years she says but she doesn’t recall where the original recipe came from. Back in the UK my mum would make cookies that were similar but not for Halloween just every day shortbread butter cookies. You could easily switch this recipe up for any occasion as long as you have a creative mind.

The only changes she has made over the years is adding the almond extract flavouring. The original cookie had just the vanilla and it wasn’t tasty enough for her liking. You can find all sorts of variations of this recipe on the internet so test them out, and dress them up how you like it. If you want to add warts as soon as they come from the oven put a chocolate chip into the finger. If you don’t like Almond extract, try lemon or add in some orange, lemon or lime rind to the dough.

Happy Halloween from our home to yours!

Mr and Mrs. CBB

Halloween Scary Witch Finger Cookies

Scary Witch Finger Cookies

Recipe Yield: 36

Total Time:  10 minutes to make, 30 minutes to refrigerator dough

Oven Time: 7-10 minutes see *Tip* below

Oven Temp: 350 degrees

TIP: Cook for 7 minutes then check the bottom. If the bottom has browned pull them and move them to a rack to cool. If you over-cook these cookies they will get too hard. They may not look done on the top, but they are.

Tools:

  • Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
  • Knife
  • Spatula
  • Non- Stick Baking Sheet
  • Cooling rack
  • Dish
  • Parchment Paper or baking spray

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon Almond Extract
  • 1.5 tablespoons of Vanilla Extract
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar (icing sugar) and a bit for your surface 1/3 cup
  • 1 cup of butter (soft)
  • 2 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour ( don’t put any more than this or it will get too dry)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 tube of red decorator gel
  • About 45 blanched  whole almonds ( I added in some extras)

Preparation:

  • In a mixing bowl or stand mixer add in your butter and mix until blended.
  • Add in your extracts and mix
  • Add in your egg then mix 1 minute until blended
  • Slowly add in your flour,salt and baking powder mix until it is all blended
  • Put in a bowl, wrap with cling wrap and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill (this makes it easy to handle)
  • Sugar your surface with icing sugar then take a chunk of the dough in your hands

witch finger cookie

  • Roll the dough into a snake-like figure that is nice and even

witch finger cookie

  • Cut the first finger about 1.5 inches in length and use this as your cutting guide for the rest.
  • Make sure you roll them thinner or they will turn out chubby like some of mine did. They do grow in the oven.
  • Once you cut your fingers squeeze the top of the finger so the sides come in then press in your almond.
  • In the middle of the finger squeeze again to form the knuckle, then using a knife cut in some knuckle lines
  • Place on a greased baking sheet or like I did on parchment paper.

witch finger cookie

  • Bake for 7-10 minutes but I check at the 7 minute mark. If the cookie is brown underneath, pull them out. Don’t wait for colour on top or the cookie will be too hard.

witch finger cookie

  • Remove cookies to a cooling rack for 5 minutes

witch finger cookie

  • With your decorator gel, remove the almond, squeeze some into the nail bed then replace the almond.
  • There you have it!! Enjoy.

Halloween

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