In our continuing series, Today's Holiday Kitchen, we're cooking up shortbread desserts. Sweets are a must during the holidays, and by using the same shortbread recipe, you can have a variety of desserts over the holiday season. The Barefoot Contessa, aka Ina Garten, shares how to do it. Her latest cookbook is "Barefoot Contessa: Family Style." Here are the recipes:
Shortbread heartsMakes 24 hearts
Ingredients
¾ lb unsalted butter at room temperature1-cup sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)1-teaspoon pure vanilla extract3 ½ cup all purpose flour¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape to a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 20 minutes. Roll the dough ½ inch thick and cut with a 3-inch heart shaped cutter. Place the hearts on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.Linzer cookiesMakes 14 to 16 cookies
Ingredients¾ lb unsalted butter at room temperature1 cup granulated sugar1-teaspoon pure vanilla extract3-½ cups all-purpose flour¼ teaspoon salt¾ cup good raspberry preservesConfectioners' sugar for dustingDirections
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.Roll the dough ¼ inch thick and cut 2 ¾ inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter. With half of the rounds, cut a circle out of the middle with a 1-inch cutter. Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes. Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Spread raspberry preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cutout cookies with confectioners' sugar and press the flat sides together, with the raspberry preserves in the middle and the confectioners' sugar on the top.Jam thumbprint cookiesMakes 32 Cookies
Ingredients3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature1 cup sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1/4 teaspoon kosher salt1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash7 ounces sweetened flaked coconutRaspberry and/or apricot jamDirectionsPreheat the oven to 350 degrees.In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combinded and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. (If you have a scale, they should each weigh 1 ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconute. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentiation. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cococnut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.
Rasberry TartMakes one 9 inch square or 10 inch round tart
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
Tart shell
¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature½ cup sugar½ teaspoon pure vanilla extractPinch saltFilling
1-cup good raspberry preserves1-½ pints fresh raspberries (3 packages)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false bottom tart pan, making sure the edge is flat. Chill until firm.Butter one side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature. Spread the tart with raspberry preserves and place the raspberries, stem down, in concentric circles. If you are making a square tart, place raspberries in rows. Serve immediately.
Pecan shortbread
Makes 20 to 24 cookies
Ingredients
¾ lb of unsalted butter at room temperature1-cup sugar1-teaspoon pure vanilla extract1-teaspoon pure almond extract3-½ cups all-purpose flour¼ teaspoon salt1-½ cups small-diced pecans
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. In a medium bowl, sift together the four and salt, then add them to the butter and sugar mixture. Add the pecans and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with four and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.Roll the dough ½ inch thick and cut into 2-½ inch squares with a plain or fluted cutter (or cut into any shape you like). Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet.Bake for 20 for 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.
Shortbread cookies/w drageesMakes 24 Cookies
Ingredients
3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature1 cup granulated sugar1 teaspoon pure vanill extract3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup confectioners' sugarSilver dragees
Directions
Mix together the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until just combined. Add the vanilla. In another bowl, sift together the flour and salt; add it tothe butter and sugar. Mix until the dough start to come together. Dump on a floured board and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill afor 30 minutes.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick and cut with a 3-inch-round fluted cutter. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 -25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Let cool to room temperature.Combine the confectioner's sugar with about 2 tablespoons of water to make a very thin glaze. Spoon onto the cookies and sprinkle with a few dragees before the glaze dries.Recipes excerpted from "Barefoot Contessa: Family Style" by Ina Garten. Copyright © 2003 by Ina Garten. Published by Clarkson Potter. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt can be used without permission of the publisher.