Chocolate Shortbread Fingers

By Stef -
I made these yesterday and thought they would be really good. Now, before I go and blame the recipe, I should tell you that I cut down the butter (which is something I almost never do in desserts) because I could not bring myself to add 3 sticks of butter to a desert that fit in a 9x13 pan. I only cut it down by 4 TBS, but I think that may have been the difference between just okay chocolate shortbread fingers and really good chocolate shortbread fingers. I don't know that I'll ever make them again because of how much butter it calls for, but if I do, I won't cut it down. I also don't know if I will add the cinnamon because it don't think it added too much to the flavor. Okay, it just sounds like I probably need to never make these again because I wasn't a fan all-around. I would give them a 5. I got the recipe and pic off of melskitchencafe.com.

Chocolate Shortbread Fingers
Yield: Makes 16-20 shortbread fingers
Note: To make superfine sugar as needed in the recipe, simply blend 1 cup granulated sugar until it is, well, super fine in texture. I don't remeasure after blending, I just pour it straight into the dough.
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons dutch-process or regular unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened I put in 2 sticks and 4 TBS canola oil
  • 1 cup superfine sugar (see note above) I used 3/4 C
  • Granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan with parchment paper or foil, letting the parchment or foil overhang on two sides so the bars can easily be pulled out of the pan after they are baked and cooled. Lightly grease the foil or parchment with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Place the butter and superfine sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with a handheld electric mixer (or use an electric stand mixer) until light and fluffy – 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.
  3. Spread the dough into the prepared pan, using a spatula or your fingers to even out the surface. Chill the dough for 15 minutes. Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork and bake for 18-22 minutes. The shortbread will be slightly puffed but still soft. It will firm up as it cools.
  4. While the shortbread is still hot, cut the baked dough into fingers by cutting down the center the long way and then cutting into 8-10 strips across. Sprinkle the tops of the bars with granulated sugar and let the shortbread cool completely in the pan. Using the parchment or foil overhang, lift the bars from the pan, gently break into pieces (where they are cut) and serve at room temperature. The bars will keep for 2-3 days covered at room temperature.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sourdough, version 4, aka version Mel

By -
Image
This is my personal favorite.—it is a combination of the sourdough recipe from Nancy Beykirch with the Tartine method. It is sour but the texture is also great. Leaven: 1/2 cup sourdough starter 1/2 cup water 2/3 cups bread flour Combine ingredients and let sit 12 hours. Then, combine the leaven (mine was about 290 grams) 860 grams white flour 100 grams wheat flour 700 grams water 22 grams salt You mix this then let it sit for 40 minutes. Then, you put it in a big bowl and let it rise for 5 hours. For the first 2-3 hours, turn in every 30 minutes where you pull the dough to the opposite side, rotate the bowl by 4ths, do the same thing. Then, you put it on a floured surface. This dough is sticky, so you might need a good deal of flour. divide and shape into 2 loaves, then let sit 30 minutes. Then, kind of reshape them and put them in a pot. Let them rise for 3 hours. Then, score them. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, then lid off the dutch oven for the final 20 minutes.
Read more

Grandma Goodsell's Whole Wheat Bread

By -
Image
  So, my Grandma Goodsell is the one who instilled a love of bread making in me. I owe a lot to her guidance when I was a kid. We finally tracked down her recipe after we thought it was lost all those years ago, and I made it yesterday. I give it a 9, but that’s probably a lot of nostalgia. Either way, it is a very, very solid bread recipe. I put my changes below in bold. Grandma Goodsell's Whole Wheat Bread Mix 2 ½ T yeast and 1 T sugar in 1 C water, and let set for 10 minutes. I used instant yeast, so I decreased this to 5 tsp. of yeast 3 C milk 2 C water ½ C honey ½ C shortening 2 T salt 2 T molasses 5 ½ C whole wheat flour 7 ½ C white flour I also added 2 heaping spoonfuls of wheat gluten Combine milk, honey, shortening, salt, and molasses in a saucepan and heat until shortening melts. Stir in 2 Cups cold water and combine with yeast mixture. Pour mixture into mixing bowl and add flours one cup at a time alternating between white and wheat (1 C white, 1 C wheat, 1 C white, ...
Read more

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

By -
Image
Oh, how I love me a pressure cooker that cuts down on dishes and produces the exact same results. This is good because it's pasta and meatballs. I would have to really be coerced to make it any other way again because this is just SO easy. My one complaint is that it was very rich in tomato flavor because it calls for twice as much sauce as when I make it the traditional way. I think I might increase the water and use less sauce next time. Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey I just did my own meatballs already premade 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, finely minced) I just did my own meatballs already premade Salt and pepper 16 ounces uncooked spaghetti noodles (see note) I think our spaghetti is almost 18 oz 1 teaspoon dried basil I used fresh 40 ounces jarred spaghetti/marinara sauce (see note) I did 2 Trader Joe's vodka sauces that are 25 oz. each 3 1/2 cups water Freshly grated Parmesan and ...
Read more