Valentine Hearts & Flowers Cookies Recipe
Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup soft Crisco vegetable shortening
* or
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 egg
* 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
* 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons milk (not evaporated)
* 1 cup Quick or Old Fashioned Oats, Uncooked
* Few Drops red food coloring
* Chocolate Frosting (or Jam of choice)
Directions:
Beat together shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and peppermint extract; beat well. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk. Stir in oats. Add just enough red food coloring to make a pink dough. Cover and chill dough 1 hour. Roll out dough on a lightly floured board to 1/8". Cut with 2" floured, heart shaped cookie cutter. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake 375 deg 6 minutes. Remove and cool on rack.
Frost 1/2 of the cookies with chocolate frosting of choice or jam of choice.
Top with remaining cookies, sandwich style.
Heart-Shaped Shortbread Flavored with Cayenne
Ingredients:
* 1/2 pound butter, unsalted at room temperature
* 8 tablespoons superfine sugar
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
* Butter and sugar to line molds
* heart shaped molds
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. With a wooden spoon or in an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until very smooth. Sift the flour into the butter mixture and, using your fingers, work all ingredients into a crumbly but very fine mixture. At this point, add the cayenne pepper, or your choice of other flavorings. Butter the molds and dust the bottom and sides with sugar. Press the shortbread dough into the molds. Bake until golden brown. The time varies from 10 minutes up, depending on the size of the mold. Do not overbake. Cool on racks before unmolding.
Variations: To make the more traditional shortbread, you can substitute a few drops of vanilla extract, 1/4 cup minced candied citron or lemon peel, or 2 tablespoons ground blanched almonds for the cayenne pepper.
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