White Chocolate & Cranberry Shortbread

Let me start this by apologizing. You see, I kind of got lost for a week or so… What can I say? Geek + new expansion for World of Warcraft = wanted posters being sent to my by email (from John) that read “Missing: 1 Blog Partner, last seen in Azeroth. If found, please contact www.CreativeNoms.com “.

Prior to getting sucked into nerdtimes last week, I actually spent the previous weekend starting the holiday cookie baking.

For me this isn’t a simple endeavor where I mass produce sugar cookies. Oh no, I am completely insane prefer a challenge. How’s about 100 dozen cookies and 18 recipes sound? Good? Excellent! Because that’s roughly what my little kitchen is going to produce this year.

The oven has already had a first run of roughly 18 dozen cookies (6 recipes) for a wonderful long distance cookie exchange with friends from all over the country (more on that in my next post).

The next part is baking for the husband’s workplace. That’s the big one.

12 recipes this year, somewhere around 80 dozen cookies.

Basically, when we first moved to Tulsa, I didn’t know many people and had no creative outlet with which to share my baking addiction hobby. When Christmas came around, I decided to bake cookies for Ken’s office. To say the least, they went over well. By well, I actually mean that Ken starts getting questioned about cookies around Thanksgiving. Indeed, I have created a bit of a cookie (dare I say) monster.

One of the repeat favorites, and also the one most asked about is shortbread.

Like many delicious things, my specific recipe for shortbread was an accident.

The first time I made it, I had run out of regular sugar. Not wanting to run to the store, I decided to substitute pure cane brown sugar instead. So I tossed that in and, to steal a quote from a friend, it was like woah!

If you’re wondering, I specifically used Zulka, which is a pure, unrefined cane brown sugar made in Mexico. It can be found in most Latin groceries and at a few of the big grocery chains out there.

It’s also completely awesome.

This specific shortbread was shipped out to the cookie exchange folks and will be headed to the husband’s office as well.

Shortbread, plain or with things added is quick, simple and always delicious.

Expect more cookie recipes in the near future… I’m armed with my shiny new camera and I’ve got plenty of baking to do.

White Chocolate & Cranberry Shortbread

Ingredients:

13.5 oz (3 cups) all-purpose flour
1 cup pure cane sugar (Zulka)
1 cup butter, softened
6 tbsp (3/8 cup) milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 12oz bag dried, sweetened cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
3, 8” or 9” cake pans, round preferred
Optional Drizzle: ½ cup white chocolate chips & 2 tsp shortening

Preparation:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°.

Step 2: Combine the flour and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk together until well mixed.

Step 3: Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until its light and fluffy, then slowly add in the flour mixture, beating at low speed.

Step 4: Next, add in the milk and vanilla and mix until well blended. Then remove the cookie dough from the mixer and fold in the white chocolate and cranberries by hand.

Step 5: Pat the dough into about an 8” circle and flatten it out so it’s even on top. Then divide it into three equal pieces.

Step 6: Break out the cake pans, you won’t need to grease them. Take each wedge of dough and place it into a cake pan, then press the dough down firmly into the cake pan, making sure that it is even on top.

Step 7: Take a pizza cutter or a knife and score each shortbread into 16 wedges or pieces before you bake it, this makes it much easier to cut when it is done.

Step 8: Bake! Shortbread should cook for 24-26 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown. The top should not brown; it will remain light in color.

Step 9: Cool for 15 minutes and then cut in wedges immediately. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Optional:

Step 10: Once the shortbread is cool, melt the white chocolate and shortening in your microwave on high for 30 seconds, remove and then stir, repeat this process until the chocolate is fully melted. This normally takes me 2-3 cycles.

Take a small spoon and drizzle over the wedges, then let them stand until set.

As always, I recommend serving with tea. Or really, for breakfast, not that you should have cookies for breakast.

Yield: 68 pieces, 3 – 9” rounds

Notes:

If you don’t have cake pans, you can roll out each wedge into an 8” circle and bake it on a cookie sheet.
I’ve specifically written this recipe so that it can be very easily reduced to make one or two rounds, instead of three. I have to make this in mass quantity or I risk bodily injury – you can probably get away with less, the first time anyhow.