When I was a kid, my mom made shortbread every Christmas. Cut into trees and fluted edged circles with a red or green candied cherry in the middle, the holidays just weren't the same without shortbread. I'm sorry to say that as an adult, my son holds the same love for shortbread as I did, although I don't love making it.
So I rarely do.
Recently I thought I should be a good mother and provide this boy with his beloved shortbread because he's bordering on the edge of manhood, and perhaps I should grasp at the last bits of childhood that I can. Christmas is only a little over a month away (gasp! How did THAT happen?) and since I really only bake shortbread at Christmas, maybe starting now is a good thing.
I browsed the internets, looking for something new and exciting, of which I had all the ingredients in the cupboard, until low and behold I found this recipe for Tolberone Shortbread. I love Tolberone. Only, I didn't have Tolberone in my cupboard. I DID, however, have a big slab of Rogers Baking Milk Chocolate-a gift from my friend Anne, who had brought it back from Victoria some months ago. I had stashed it away, waiting for a perfect occasion to crack that baby open and use it.
This was the perfect occasion. Buttery shortbread, pecans, and good milk chocolate seem like just the perfect combination for a cookie and indeed, we weren't disappointed. The only things that I might change, is I'd love to try using some 70% dark green and blacks, and drizzling caramel over top. I would have drizzled the caramel over top of these, but I discovered that Kevin had eaten all the caramels in my baking cupboard. Another idea is to bake them with chocolate chips and skor toffee bits. The possibilities really are endless if you think about it.
Anyway.
Adapted From Kraft
2 cups of butter (I'm guessing salted, because it doesn't say-and there's no salt in the recipe)
1 cup superfine sugar (berry sugar)
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
200 g of chocolate (I used a 200 g ish bar of Rogers Milk Baking Chocolate)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Pre-heat oven to 35o F.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and cornstarch. Add to the creamed butter and mix together on low until it comes together.
Stir in the chocolate chunks and pecans.
Line your cookie sheets with parchment. Scoop out the dough, a tablespoon at a time, and gently squish it in your hands to form a ball. It will seem a bit crumbly but it will come together. Place the balls on the cookie sheet and squish slightly to flatten them.
Bake for about 15-17 minutes until lightly browned and set. Remove to a wire rack for cooling.
Makes about 4 dozen small cookies
