Daring Bakers - Shortbread and other delicious cookies

Holiday season is the time for sharing and Peta of Peta Eats is sharing a dozen cookies, some classics and some of her own, from all over the world with us.

Of all the wonderful recipes Peta presented I chose the shortbread, but will definitely try the others.
I wasn't able to pipe the dough and so decided to make small circles. The shortbread is delicious. A keeper.

To share with you I chose two recipes from Madeira Island which are very typical during the holiday season: beer twists (palitos de cerveja) and molasses cookies (broas de mel).

Shortbread

Ingredients
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) softened butter
1¼ cups (175 gm) (6 oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
½ cup (65 gm) (2- 2/3 oz) confectioners' sugar
¼ cup (45 gm) (1½ oz) cornflour
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla essence
Nuts, chocolate chips, maraschino cherries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to moderate 300°F/ 150°C/gas mark 2
2. Combine butter, flours, vanilla and confectioner's sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle beater. Mix on low speed until combined and then change to the whisk beater.
3. Beat for 10 minutes.
4. Pipe into rings.
5. Decorate with maraschino cherry pieces to look like little wreaths or leave plain.
6. Bake in preheated moderate oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned.
7. Cool completely and drizzle with melted chocolate or icing (frosting) if you want to.
Important Tips I have learnt since I did the Food Talk Article
To pipe shortbread beat for 10 minutes NO MORE – if you overbeat the mixture it won’t hold when it cooks.
A cool oven is important. If your oven is too hot the butter and sugar boils and you end up with lacy cookies that fall apart as soon as you try to do anything with them.
Between piping put the bowl and the piping bag away from your oven so it doesn’t get hot but don’t put it in the refrigerator because it gets too cold and you can’t pipe it.



Beer Twists
[this is a typical cookie from Madeira Island, very appreciated during the holiday season]

500g flour
250g butter or margarine
2 small cups of white beer
1 egg white
Caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Combine all the ingredients (except the egg and sugar) very well (I use my hands). Add the beer carefully to obtain the right dough consistency, firm enough to roll with your hands.
Take a small portion and roll over the kitchen table, fold in half and twist to form a kind of braid (check the picture above). But you can use any shape you want.
Brush the cookies with the egg white and roll in caster sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until they start to brown on top and the sugar lightly caramelizes.


Molasses Cookies
[this is another typical cookie from Madeira Island, very appreciated during the holiday season]

250g flour
150g caster sugar
1 tsp cinamon
1 tsp baking soda
125 g butter or margarine
molasses to taste (betweem 50 and 100 ml)
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Combine the sugar and butter very well. Add the egg, soda, molasses , cinamon and flour.
Try to form small balls with the palms of your hands. If the consistency does not allow it, add more flour until you can handle the dough without sticking to your hands.
Form small balls and then press lightly between your hands to make circles.
Bake for 25/30 minutes.