Remember the nice folks at Oh Nuts! who sent me some samples to try and blog about? Well, they are even nicer than we thought at first – now they want to give some samples to one of you! I will likely be doing some more recipes using their products, but we wanted to get this giveaway in this week. More details on that in a minute, but first – the recipe!
The third bag of nuts contained toasted hazelnuts – a personal favorite, so I wanted to come up with something really special. If you don’t have hazelnuts, any other nuts [or no nuts at all if tht is how you roll] will work very nicely. I still have some macadamias and the Macadamia Lime Bars were so good that I might try a Lime Macadamia Shortbread variation – or Lemon Pecan Shortbread maybe. Today though, we using these crunchy, toasty little gems.
Nothing is easier to make than shortbread. Just a few ingredients, a simple preparation and you have something unbelievably delicious. You can use 2 cups of flour instead of the 1/2 cup of cornstarch, but cornstarch gives you a lighter, crisper texture and I think they even stay fresh longer.
First, in medium sized bowl, mix and set aside
1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon table salt [not kosher]
1/2 cup coarsly chopped toasted hazelnuts
In a larger bowl, cream together
2 sticks [1 cup] butter
freshly grated zest of 1 orange
Add and cream for about 2 minutes
1/2 cup confectioners [10x] sugar
Add and beat another minute
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture and fold together until combined. Don’t over mix here, but make sure everything is well incorporated.
Pat out into a flattened square and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours, or up to about 3 days.
Roll out on floured surface to about 1/3 inch thickness, and cut into desired shapes. I used a tiny jam jar for the round shapes and a dough cutter to cut squares.
Bake at 350ยบ for about 8 to 10 minutes – they should have just the very tiniest hint of brown – if they get more than that, they will be overdone.
Cool on racks for an hour or so. They are wonderful just like this
Or, you can melt together 4 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate, 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon orange zest. [I grate this the day before and let it dry out – makes yummy little chewy bits in the glaze] You can melt this in the microwave – do it for 10 seconds and stir well – if not well melted, try another 5 seconds, stir and then maybe another 5 seconds. I can’t give you exact times because all microwaves are different and to me, it is better to be cautious and only heat a little at a time than it is to burn it and have to start over. Dip the cooled cookies and allow to dry completely before storing in a sealed container.
Yum
And now to the giveaway. Sam is going to send the winner a pound of nuts, a pound of dried fruit and a pound of candy – winner’s choice! Go to the Oh Nuts! website and look around a little. What would you choose if you won? Come back and tell us in the comments. The winner will be chosen by random draw from all the comments left between now and Friday at 12:00noon EST, winner to be announced Friday afternoon. US addresses only please.
And did you enter the calendar magnet giveaway yet today? The winners for Monday and Tuesday are already chosen – if you want to be eligible today, you have to comment again!
Lord have mercy. Mama loves her some shortbread!
Mmm… shortbread!
Pecans, dried cherries and jordan almonds!
I love shortbread but never make it. If I did I would eat every single piece. And then the chocolate covered ones you make . . . oh – I am drooling!
Okay – I checked out the Oh Nuts! site. It certainly has a lot of things to choose from!
If I won I would love the mixed nuts, any kind of Jordon Almonds, and mixed dried fruit. I just can’t decide on one nut or fruit!
Stop baking and come enter my contest!!
Hallie :)
They look delicious!
Craisins – I love craisins in salads!
I just gained 5 lbs reading this.
Shame on you. :)
My comment got eaten by Blogger
Truffle Crunch, pistaschios, and be still my heart, bulk pumpkin seeds ..
and a few dozen of each of the cookies you’ve baked.
:-Daryl
Oh my goodness those cookies look fabulous!
I would pick: Roasted unsalted cashews, dried Papaya, and
Swiss Petite Assorted Fruits (my favorite candy and so hard to find).
Thanks for the opportunity :)
They were looking really good – and then you topped them with melted heaven! I am so NOT going to bake these! My hips are already screaming at me for the holiday fun I’ve been having. They look divine, Dlyn! The shortbread, not my hips.
Ding dang diddly, girl. I just found a recipe that I can make and use for the holidays.
You rock!!
And at the nut place, I’d choose the Christmas nut assortment. I’d choose 3 of them. Or six.
I love their website! What variety!
I’d choose the walnuts, fruit leather and kiwi!
quitecontrary1977@hotmail.com
http://nowenteringmomville.blogspot.com
Oh boy!!!
I would choose cashews, dried apricots and cotton candy jelly bellies!!
YUM YUM
I would choose the Toffee Almonds. Mmmmm
And I sure would love to taste those shortbread cookies!
Oh, my goodness gracious…I could eat the entire batch!
Oh, now why did you have to go and do that? Don’t you know how weak I am? They look delicious…along with everyone else you make. Keep up the good work, my friend!
any thing toffee screams at me and nuts oh my to have to decide… and dried apricots and plums… oh my … sigh i feel the pounds creaping up just looking at all the wonderful things you make and things they have at oh nuts… PICK ME :D
Hmmm… the nuts would be easy, Pecans. Fruit would have to be mixed fruit, I like them all. Candy? That is wholly unfair to expect me to pick one. If I must, Truffle Cup with Nut. They need an assortment option.
I love shortbread and those with chocolate on them look divine!
Their site is to die for!
I would be thrilled with the Macadamia nuts to make your Macadamia/Lime recipe.
Mmmm. I love hazelnuts in all forms, even as a coffee flavor. Especially as a coffee flavor! But the Christmas jordan almonds look so yummy I’d probably buy those first.
Oh your cookies look so good!!! I am going to make those. I love shortbread.
Cashew nuts, mixed fruit and Jordan almonds
Merry Christmas!
God Bless~
Debbie
yummy!! You make it look easy.
oh they look so wonderful! my mom adores shortbread and hazelnuts, so i think i’ll try out those recipes! thank you for sharing :)
I also would like the Dark Chocolate covered Almonds
Chocolate and hazelnuts! Oh, yum! I think I will hit ‘printscreen’ and eat the paper!
Ooh, that shortbread recipe sounds delicious!
And the OhNuts website is too tempting! I would pick either the Chocolate Covered Pretzels w/ Rainbow Seeds (so festive looking!) or the Toffee Almonds… they both sound so tasty!
I’d take any nut really. Pecan’s are just a favorite!
And any dried fruit as well. Great hiking food!
I love the flavor combination in your shortbread!
mmmmmpistachios :)
These were delicious. I don’t have cookie cutters so I rolled the dough into a log and sliced and baked.