Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 2 cups
Powdered sugar - ½ cup
Unsalted butter - 1 cup (room temperature)
Salt - ¼ tsp.
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp.
Food color - 2 to 3 drops

Method:
In a bowl, combine the sifted flour and salt.
In another mixing bowl, cream the butter with electric mixer or hand mixer.
Add the sugar and beat until smooth (for 2 minutes).
Beat in the vanilla extract and food color.
Stir in the flour till incorporated (forms like a soft dough-better to use hands).
Flatten the dough into a disk shape and wrap in plastic wrap,
Chill the dough for one hour.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick ( I flattened the dough with right palm).
Cut into desired shapes with the help of the lightly floured cookie cutter.
Place the cookies on the cookie tray with a parchment paper.
Keep in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven for 10-14 minutes or until the cookies are slightly browned.
Cool them on a wire rack.
Store them in an air-tight container for a week.
Source : Joy of cooking


Sent off to Priya's  "Hearts for St. Valentines' Day".

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Sesame Cookies

Got this from here.

Ingredients:
Plain white flour - ½ cup + 2 tbsp.
Light brown sugar - 1 cup (packed)
Unsalted butter - 4 tbsp.
Egg -1 (large)
Sesame seeds - 1 cup (dry roasted)
Baking powder - ½ tsp.
Vanilla extract - ½ tsp.
Salt - ½ tsp.
Lemon juice - 1 tsp.

Method:
Combine the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Keep aside.
Cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy and light with an electric hand mixer .
Blend in the egg, vanilla extract and lemon juice.
Add the flour mixture slowly and mix just until incorporated on low speed.
Then pour in the sesame seeds. Combine with the dough.
Cover the dough and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour.
Pre-heat the oven on a temperature of 180°C (350°F).
Place the parchment paper on the cookie tray.
Drop the dough teaspoon by teaspoon on the parchment sheet leaving a gap of 7 cm (2.8 inches).
Then bake it for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown.
Take the sheet and then place it on the wire rack with the cookies.
After 5-10 minutes of cooling, remove the cookies carefully and delicately and place them on a wire rack.

Tips & Warnings:
If you don’t leave spaces between the cookies, they’re sure to join like a double circle cookie. Or consider this a crazy fashion of cookies.
These cookies are very fragile (worse than handling raw eggs).


Sent off to Priya's CWS event.

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