12 Cookies of X-Mas: Clove-Spiced Shortbread

These wedges are based on a recipe that appears in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. And they turned out so well, in fact, that I actually brought them into work. My coworkers were apprehensive at first -- because they know I often bake with "strange" ingredients.

But they were happy to learn that these treats are pretty traditional. Real butter. Real sugar. White flour. But they are somewhat healthier. I cut the butter with some oil. I used some whole wheat flour. Little substitutions here and there that didn't impact the flavor, just the nutritional value.

Oh, yeah! And I got my new lens this weekend -- a 50mm. It's working out wonderfully so far. Great for food photography. Great for portraits. I can't wait to get some more time to play around!


CLOVE-SPICED SHORTBREAD
Print this Recipe!

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Set out a springform or tart pan (with a removable bottom).
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, oil, and brown sugar. Beat until well combined.
3. Then whisk together the flours, pecans, cloves, and salt in another bowl and add to the wet to form a soft dough.
4. Then turn this dough into the prepared pan and press to fill it uniformly.
5. Place in the oven and lower the temperature to 300 degrees F. Let bake for 30 minutes.
6. Then remove from the oven, cut into wedges, and prick with a fork (if you wish, it's only to make a design). Return to oven for another 15 minutes.
7. Bake until lightly browned. And then let cool before removing from pan.

And before you know it, you have a delicious shortbread that EVERYONE will enjoy!


JOY TO THE EARTH -- eBook!

Amy (from be.you.ti.fully a.musing) has written a super awesome eBook for the holiday season called Joy to the Earth. It's all about having a "Meaning -Filled, Eco- Conscious and Thriftastic Holiday" -- click here to learn more on Amy's site.


Of course, we're really into the whole concept of an eco-conscious holiday. We, too, have been more and more thoughtful this season, simplifying, saving money, etc. And Amy was nice enough to give us a sneak peek of the book. I must say -- there are some great ideas inside!

From gifts to wrapping to gathering to the tree (more contents info here)!

12 COOKIES OF X-MAS

• Day 1 (Salted Cornmeal Sugar Cookies)
• Day 2 (Mexican Hot Chocolate Chippers)
• Day 3 (Festivus Bars)
• Day 4 (Julie's Chocolate Chai Tea Cakes)
• Day 5 (Chocolate Chunk Oaties)
• Day 6 (Fudge-Topped Chai Bars)
• Yes. We're behind! But we'll catch up later today . . .

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Shortbread and Peanut Butter and Jelly

There are few foods more classic than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies. I'm thinking THAT must be the reason I enjoy the two so much. Now, I make cookies all the time, but I had never made shortbread before last night. In fact, I had never enjoyed a piece of the unleavened cookie-eqsue dessert before last night either! According to Wikipedia, what classifies a cookie as shortbread is the ratio of ingredients: one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour.

I found a variation of the following recipe in an old "name-brand" cookie cookbook. What appealed to me was how few ingredients are needed. You'll notice that, though this recipe doesn't abide by the true ratios, you don't need eggs, baking powder, baking soda, milk, etc. Also, this shortbread comes together in a snap . . . and I think it would travel well (if you ever send cookies to friends in the mail).

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD

What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup butter (we used Earth Balance as a substitute -- the non-soy kind)
• 1/2 cup sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips (Sunspire)

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Set aside a 8 inch by 8 inch square baking pan. We used a glass one.
2. Cream together your butter (or substitute) and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. About 5 minutes on high with the paddle attachment should work just fine.
3. Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. Add the flours and stir until well moistened. The mixture will be super crumbly.
5. Add in the chocolate chips and stir. Again, the mixture is crumbly -- but that's how it's supposed to be.
6. Pour mixture into your UN-greased pan and press until flat and evenly distributed.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.
8. Let cool before cutting into squares and/or rectangles.

Back to the peanut butter and jelly for a moment.


Yesterday when I went to make my customary lunchtime favorite, I realized we were out of jelly! Of course, apples and peanut butter on a wrap would suffice, but I had a better idea: Add bananas! But I didn't want to chunk up the sandwich much more than it was already, well, chunked.

So, I mashed up half a banana with a little maple syrup. It was delicious! I'm even having it yet again for lunch today. We got a question from Hillary about the "best" way to fold a PB&J wrap in our inbox, so we thought a couple pictures would help illustrate how we do it:



What did YOU pack for lunch today? Or do you usually dine out for your mid-day meal? Let us know -- just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com! I've been making a huge effort to brown bag it lately. So far, so good!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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