This decadent, cherry filled, chocolate ganache coated creation originated with a convenient pouch full of sugar cookie mix - just add butter and eggs...simple.
I'm more of a sandwich cookie girl than a stencil cutout, paint the frosting on, kind of baker. So I just used a medium cookie scoop to make a good sandwich size cookie.
I had these plump gorgeous burgundy Bing cherries, the only type I like, that I wanted to do something creative with.
Next my mind went, as it so often does, to chocolate. So a rich buttery cookie with a gooey cherry surprise in the middle, and a dreamy coating of silky dark chocolate was born!
Shortbread is a buttery blank canvas for you to build upon with bold flavor pairings like fresh herbs, fruit, and liqueur.
The combination of rosemary, orange, and then dried cranberries dunked in Cognac will cause you to close your eyes, chew slowly, and savor every bite!
For the next several months it's going to be about fresh herbs and what to pair with them!
Rosemary is one of the most versatile herbs.
You can take it sweet, spicy, salty, savory, or swirl it into a cocktail to enhance any season's offerings. It's also hardy enough to weather the storms in both summer and winter.
For information on planning, purchasing, and planting rosemary and 19 more of my favorite herbs, check out my latest book!
Ingredients
½ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon Cognac or Brandy (or orange juice-the liquid is
needed for the dough)
1 cup walnuts
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped as fine as you can get
it
zest from 1 orange
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Combine cranberries and liqueur into a small bowl and allow
to marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and
preheat to 325 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Using a food processor, grind the walnuts with 1 tablespoon
of the sugar. Transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining sugar to the processor and
mix until superfine, about 1 minute. Add the flour, salt, and walnuts. Pulse a
few times to combine. Add the rosemary and orange zest. Pulse a few more times.
Mix in the butter and vanilla until crumbly. Squeeze the
access liquid out of the cranberries and toss them in. Pulse a few times to
combine everything. Transfer the dough to a work surface and shape into a ball.
This dough will appear to be a bit dry and crumbly. Just keep working it with
your hands and it will come together into a ball. Half it and form into 2
disks. Wrap each with plastic wrap and refrigerate 10 minutes.
Place a dough disk on each cookie sheet and using hands,
press and shape each into an 8 inch round. Cut each round into 8 wedges and
leave intact. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the edges are
browned, about 25 to 35 minutes. The switching of the pans is an important step
in helping them to bake evenly. Re-cut the hot shortbread into wedges, separate lightly
and let cool. Shortbread is very fragile so it’s important to let it cool
completely.
Pour yourself a glass of wine and join me in the kitchen!
Welcome to my creative haven...where something homemade is always baking, fresh herbs flourish out on the deck, and a soothing cocktail awaits.
To discover all the tasty details, jump over to 'Meet Tipsy.' To see what's been cooking, browse through the recipes.
I appreciate you investing your time to stop by! If you'd like to keep in touch, please jump in and comment, subscribe for updates, or contact me directly at the email listed below!
