I adore Martha Stewart, she is an American icon whose brand is synonymous with perfection. Whenever I am in need of a foolproof recipe I always turn to Martha. Her Apple Pie recipe, and her Chocolate Mousse are staples in my dessert rotation, they are so easy and never fail to delight. Another favorite of mine, and one that always fetches compliments is her Cranberry Shortbread recipe. These cookies are melt in your mouth delicious.
Dried Cranberry Shortbread
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries or cherries
I have been making this recipe for years, and although it is easy to make, it does take some time to properly mix the butter into the dry ingredients since it is recommended that the dough be mixed by hand. So this year I thought I would try to shorten the mixing time by using a food processor, and guess what? It worked beautifully! I also used The Smart Cookie to shape the dough so that they all bake uniformly.
To use the food processor method:
1.Place all dry ingredients into bowl of a food processor, pulse the blades a few times to mix.
2.Cut butter into cubes and add vanilla.
3.Mix the dough until it starts to clump together. Do not mix it much more than this or your shortbread will be tough.
At this point you can either bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, or you can store in The Smart Cookie until ready to bake.
These cookies are so pretty, especially around the holidays they look so festive.
For your next dinner party, instead of a bottle of wine, bring the hostess a Smart Cookie container pre-filled with Dried Cranberry Shortbread, or another cookie recipe. It will be a nice treat the next day, after cleaning up the kitchen the hosts can relax with a cup of coffee and a fresh baked cookie!
Try this recipe and let me know how you liked it.