Day 1: Espresso Shortbread

 Sally MacDonald, who works at our Headquarters Office, has baked Espresso Shortbread from Martha Stewart's Holidays: recipes, gifts, and decorations, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Perfect treat with a cup of tea or coffee on a cold winter's day. Sally's cookies are making their way to the Annapolis Royal branch today!

Here's the recipe:

 

Espresso Shortbread

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN

A simple shortbread with a sophisticated coffee flavor

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon powdered instant coffee

2 ¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and coffee. 

Sift together flour and salt ; add to butter mixture and beat well.

2. Chill dough until firm.

3. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

4. Roll dough ¼ inch thick and cut into 2-inch-by 5-inch bars. 

Prick with a fork. Score middles of bars with a knife.

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Sally's Tips: Since I can’t leave any recipe alone, I changed this a bit. I used the same ingredients, but I divided the dough into two equal parts and pressed each part into an 8” round pan. I pricked all over with a fork and baked in a 275 degree F. oven for about an hour. As soon as they were removed from the oven, I cut them into 16 equal segments with a sharp knife. Then I let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing them to cooling racks.