Melt in the mouth!

When I first came here, I was blessed to met Molly, she is like my substitute mother. She is a Nyonya with a pair of amazing hands. She inspires me in baking, she is also a very good cook, too. Every Sunday, she will make 2-3 different pastries to bring to Lord's day meeting. Everyone loves her foods.


She treats Tony like her own son. Every week, she has surprises for us. I love surprises. She knows we both love her baking and cooking. After knowing her, I learned about her life story, the tragic death of her beloved husband. After 3 decades, she still grief over her lost. She will never let go, she will bring her grief to the ground with her. Her heart broken for the second time when her younger son married a German woman who treats her like a piece of sh__! It was outrageous when I heard about how she was treated. Her son was her everything when her husband passed away. She loves him dearly.


She was once my bff, she likes to tell me story of her husband, the best time of her life. I said, she was once my bff, because, for some unexpected reason, we don't see each other like we used to. I know for this reason, she was upset about it. And she no longer phone me (she used to call me like every other hour). Although I still call her, visit her, take her out for lunch once in a while, but our relationship isn't the same anymore. For the love of God, I still love her like my mom/bff. I pray to God that one day she will let bygones be bygones and live happily for the rest of her life.


I don't know why I blog about this? Shortbreads are very traditional Christmas cookies. I should blog about something merry and festive. I hope I didn't ruin your Christmas mood. Christmas mood? Is your Christmas mood here yet? Mine still hasn't arrived.


Wishing you a merry happy baking!


Ingredients:

Shortbread Cookies:

2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract


For Chocolate Dipped Shortbreads:

100g semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Steps:

Shortbreads:

1. In a separate bowl mix the flour with the salt.  Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract.
3. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated.  Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in cling wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour. The dough will be harder after chilled.  
4. Preheat oven to 370F with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch thick circle. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. (This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.)
6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 50 cookies (number of cookies may be vary depends on the thickness and the cutter size).

  

Chocolate Dip:

7. Place the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat. 
8. Taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once all the cookies have been dipped in the chocolate, place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.
9. Shortbread cookies with keep in an airtight container for about a week or they can be frozen.

  

This quick and easy shortbread will literally melt-in-your-mouth. It's so rich and buttery! Mmmmm...

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