Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are my special Valentine's favorite, so I bet you can't guess what he's getting this year?!  Shhhhh... it's our little secret (at least for one more day). 

 

Shortbread is one of those basic cookies you can whip up any time, however if you're a lover of gluten-free or fat free treats, you're going to want to skip this recipe.. 

This decadent little simpleton is simply not a member of the American Heart Association. 

The recipe:

3/4 pound unsalted butter-room temperature
1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

*In a pinch, you could leave out the vanilla and salt and still have a delicious cookie you can be proud of. 

For dipping:

2 cups of your favorite semi-sweet chocolate chips

To begin the cookie making process, I cream together the butter and sugar, then mix in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, I sift together the flour and salt.  Next, I add the two mixtures together and continue mixing on low speed until the dough begins to form. 

When the dough is ready, I place a sheet of parchment paper on a flat surface then pour the dough mixture on to it and form it into a large ball.  

 

Next, I roll and flatten the dough into a long flat oval. I find that this makes it easier to roll all the way out after it has chilled without the major cracking that can happen when making shortbread.  One my oval is ready, I wrap it in plastic and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

After the dough has chilled it is much easier to roll. I like to roll it to about 1/4 inch thick then I cut it with a 2-inch heart-shaped cutter. 

Once the hearts are ready, I place them on a cookie sheet and freeze for one hour. This ensures the hearts bake perfectly without losing their shape.   *If I am planning on serving them fresh, I just freeze until I'm ready to bake.

I bake the cookies in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 17 to 20 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.  The thicker the cookie the longer they need to cook.

When my cookies are completely cool, I get ready to dip them.

I prepare a fresh sheet of parchment paper on a flat surface to place the dipped cookies on.

I  like to dip 1/2 the cookies at a time to ensure the chocolate doesn't harden during the process.  In order to do this, I only microwave 1/2 the chocolate chips (one cup) on high for 1 minute.  Stir, then repeat for another minute.  Now my chocolate is ready for dipping!

I like the rustic look of just dipping half the cookie in.  There is no rhyme or reason, I just dig in.  The worst thing happens is I don't like the results...  When that happens, I eat my mistake and move on.. :)

I place the dipped cookies on the parchment paper and allow to dry at room temperature for one hour, then I quick pop them into the freezer for 15 minutes if boxing for gift giving.

The final step is my favorite...  I find a fabulous gift box or I plate them for serving! 

Be sure to let me know if you try these little gems!  They are the way to my man's heart.  Here's hoping you love them too.

Cheers!

The Perfect Beginning (or ending) to Valentine's Day!

 How fun would these cool whip toppers be

to make for your favorite Valentine?

 

Now.. Pop in the freezer...

Fabulous!

Rasberry Lemon Meringue Valentines - It's all about LOVE

One of my fondest memories of Valentine's Day was a handmade valentine I received every year from my grandmother.  She would intricately weave pieces of paper into the shape of a heart pocket.  Then she would enclose a hand cut heart with a tiny message of love... I would bolt to the mailbox just as fast at age 13 as I did at five to see if it had yet arrived. I am blessed with a beautiful cousin who continues my grandmother's tradition and it my seem silly, but I still feel like I'm five years old every time her valentine arrives!  Like Charlie Brown, I just adore receiving that little token of love..

I realize now that those little traditions or rituals we perform every year are what memories are made of in the hearts of those we love.  

Apparently some things are just in your DNA, because my mother was a huge romantic.  The moment she took down the Christmas decorations, you could hear her buzzing around the house humming love songs and decorating with her well loved cupids, doilies and lace lined hearts. She was a passionate soul, the kind that Valentine's Day was most certainly created for.  Valentine's wasn't a day in our house, it was a month!  Not that I'm complaining.. on the contrary.. each Valentine's Day we would awake to find a big red heart filled with chocolates or a plate of special valentine cookies made just for us and we always felt incredibly loved. 

I know that most would say Valentine's day is intended for romance between lovers, but I disagree.  I think it's a day of love.. my grandmother's and my mom's philosophy, now my own.  A tradition I gladly continue.

I'm a bit of an old-fashioned girl and I just love a hand made valentine!  When I found this adorable Raspberry Meringue Valentine recipe, I just knew I had to try it!  I've decided to share it because it was so incredibly simple and it turned out so beautifully! 

Lemon Meringue Hearts

2 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Raspberry Jam

First, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Using a pencil, draw 13, 2 inch hearts on the parchment, spacing evenly.  Turn the parchment over and set inside the baking sheet.  Have a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4 inch wide tip ready or as I've said in the past, my favorite kitchen tool is my handy dandy Wilton Decorator which I find incredibly easy to use for a task like this one!  

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites on medium for maybe a minute or two or just until foamy.  Next, add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until soft peaks form.  In order to know if you have a soft peak, just turn your whisk upside down.  You will see a small peak that barely holds.  This is when you'll start to add in the sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, letting it dissolve before adding the next round.  Once it's all added, turn the mixer to a high speed and beat until the whites are glossy and stiff.  This takes a while, so patience is a virtue.

You'll know the meringue is ready when you rub a small amount between your fingers and no longer feel the sugar grains and the mixture itself is thick and heavy and holds a peak proudly. At this point, beat in the vanilla, lemon juice and zest, just until mixed. I'd say that the biggest factor in making these tasty little numbers amazing.. is the lemon zest and juice. A little goes along way, but it's the one ingredient that makes this meringue incredibly special!

  

Next, fill your pastry bag or decorator with the meringue and pipe an even, thin layer of meringue to fill in the shape of each heart you've drawn.  

After you've filled in all 13 hearts, go back and pipe a border on top of each heart to form a 1/2 inch high edge.  

Let them sit for about 30 minutes before popping them in the oven.  This will dry them out and help give them a crispy shell.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until they are dry, creamy white and firm to the touch.  They're done when they release easily from the parchment paper with a spatula.  At this point, I like to cool my meringue overnight.  The added drying time makes them incredibly easy to work with and decorate.  

In the past, I've found that meringue can be difficult. I think that the real key to making meringue easy, is to keep ALL the yellow out of your egg whites, make sure your egg whites are room temperature and dry your meringue in a very dry location (such as the oven) overnight.
After that, it's child's play.

When the meringue is firm and dry, you are ready to assemble.

 

To assemble, you'll place a small dollop of jam in the center of each heart and spread to cover the bottom.  

 

Voila!  I can hear my grandmother and mother oohing and ahhing in my ears..

They are adorable, aren't they?

 

Happy Valentine's my friends!
I wish you a day filled with all the love your heart can hold!

The Tradition of Groundhog Cake

Groundhog's day actually originated as a custom of the clergy in Europe.  

Every February 2nd, the clergy would bless candles and people 

would put them in their windows to ward off the dark and cold of winter. 

In addition, the weather on Candlemas was thought to predict the rest of the season.  

A poem that came down with this tradition,

"If Candlemas Day be fair and bright

Winter will have another fight.

If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,

Winter won't come again.”

Alongside this tradition, the townspeople would study the astute hedgehog. 

If the wise hedgehog came out of its hole on a sunless day 

and didn't see its shadow, it would stay outside. 

But if it was a sunny day, it would see its shadow and return to his hole

 for six more weeks of winter!  

So there it is.. 

Some time in the early 1800's, German settlers in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
started looking for groundhogs (substituted for hedgehogs) on Candlemas,
hence Groundhogs Day as we know it 

and another firm reason for a holiday as I see it!

This story along with the fact that I love any excuse to eat a cake, began my tradition of serving a Groundhog Day cake to my family every February 2nd. 

This cake amuses me to make and I find it especially fun to eat on days

the groundhog has predicted six more weeks of winter!

The details:

First, I prepare my favorite cake and pour it carefully into a
glass baking bowl that I've sprayed 

from top to bottom with non stick cooking spray.  

I like to use a Pampered Chef Baking Bowl.  After several years of trial and error, because I know it's the perfect size for my groundhog cake. 

Next, I pour the cake batter into the bowl and bake it in a preheated oven for about 50 minutes or until a thin knife inserted down the middle comes out clean.  

After I take it out of the oven, I let it cool in its bowl for about 20 minutes which makes it easy to tip over and ease from the bowl in one piece.  

When it's cool to the touch, I place it on a plate, I've covered with a 

sheet of parchment paper and freeze for another 30 minutes.  

 I've found that this extra cooling it makes it nice and sturdy for trimming and decorating.

While I am waiting for the cake to cool, I like to prepare the decorations. 

First, I take an 8 inch cake round and trim it about 1/4 of an inch all the way around. 

 Next, I push it into an 8" high terracotta flower pot until 

it sits securely on the inner ledge.

I like to add a paper doily on top of the cardboard.  It will just peek out

once the cake is decorated and I think it 

gives it a fabulous little finishing touch!

After the pot is ready, I like to get my decorations in order.  

I mix up a standard chocolate buttercream frosting and set it aside. 

Next, I'll crush a handful of my favorite cookies...

 I find that the easiest way to crush the cookies finely, 

is to insert them in a plastic bag and give them a good hammering.

When that's completed, I pull out a couple of small chocolate candies 

for the eyes and a larger one for the nose.  

I also pull out a flower for the top of the cake.  A silk flower will do

the trick here, but I adore these cute icing daisies by Wilton.

When the cake in nice and firm, I remove it from the freezer and 

evenly slice off the misshaped top to give it a flat surface.  

Next, I flip it over and place the large side down in the prepared flower pot.  

Now the real fun begins!

I like to frost the cake using a Wilton decorator.  I personally think a decorator tip gives the groundhog a nice texture.  I use this big star because it's super simple and I'm done in seconds, however there are so many fun fur type tips that could be used.

 

I start by frosting stars at the bottom of the cake and work my way around in a circle.  

When I'm done, I will have completely covered the 

cake in frosting stars from bottom to top.  

 

Once the cake frosting is completed, I move quickly to add the eyes and nose before the icing hardens. I insert the eyes first, widely apart.  Just before adding the nose, I build up the area with extra frosting to give him a snout. Finally, I add the crushed cookies and flower to the top and frost little paws to the side of the pot to give him the appearance of peeking from his lair.

Now that my cake is finished, I will tuck him away until morning 

when I''ll place a sign in his paw predicting our weather for the next six weeks!  

*Of course, the choice is entirely up to the real Punxsutawney Phil!

I made these cute little signs out of Sculpey a couple of years ago 

and keep them for Phil's use year to year.

*If you have never used Sculpey, you must!  

It's so clever and painless to craft with, but that is a blog for another day!

I must tell you that it's a fun site to watch sleepy eyed family members pop into the kitchen for breakfast and to see old Phil and his prediction... 

well worth the effort! 

Happy Groundhog Day, friends!