5 Ingredient Shortbread Cookies (no eggs required)

Snow day!...well, really it's Ice day here in Texas.  We had two huge wintery storms hit the DFW area within one week of each other.  The first ice storm was sleet and that became the base to yesterday's now; which capped off at 4 inches. As if to add insult to injury, last night the snow converted to sleet and blanketed the snow with more ice! At any moment I expect the Olympic speed skating team to do their practice in front of my house, followed by the Zamboni.

It's wild. Texas is the only place on the planet where you wear your Parka and flip-flops at the same time.  By Tuesday, the mercury will rise to a whopping 71 degrees f, followed by another Arctic blast; sending the mercury back to 30 degrees f. See? it's crazy weather!

We Texans don't drive well on frozen roads. You Yankees (no disrespect intended) take the gold metal for winter weather and driving on snow and ice, and I'm glad we only have to brave this weather a couple of times and then...POOF, it's gone! BEWARE and be scared because us Texans don't slow down for any weather and we WILL ram you with our big Texas trucks...ice just makes us insane drivers. Now some of us true Texans know about this phenomenon and the less insured stay home until we see the dry, warm ground. That's why at the threat of icy-wintery weather predictions we stock up on staples! Just shop in our grocery stores 12 hours before a winter storm and see if you can find any food on the store shelves! ...It's just that serious, here.

Anywho, because we've been cooped up for several days I went into my survival cooking mode. We'd run out of sweet snacks and I haven't even ventured out to the grocery store due to the Texas Popsicle Blast the last few days.  I found a recipe for shortbread cookies that wouldn't use up all my eggs. However, this does use a lot of butter, but as any worthy baker will do, I keep butter in my freezer for emergencies! This is an emergency.

I thawed my butter, whipped up a batch of these golden gems and we are now set for a couple of more days...with rationing; at least until the roads thaw so I can make the 1 mile dash to my grocer. Whew!

When making this recipe I got creative and made some "thumb-print" cookies out of half of the recipe.  I added some chocolate chips to some and sugar-free strawberry jam to a few. OH! HEAVENS! I hope I can ration these enough until Monday get's here!!!!

Enjoy!

5 Ingredient Shortbread Cookies

• Time to prep: 15 minutes
• Time to bake: 10 – 12 minutes
• Cool time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of unsalted butter (4 sticks; at room temperature, set out about 1 hour before mixing).
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (fill measuring cup to top…do not pack down; scrap off the top to level…no sifting)
• 1 slightly mounded cup of powdered sugar (DO NOT use regular granulated sugar).
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (You may skip this ingredient, but it really does make a big difference in the taste!)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment:

• Cookie baking sheet (I use two, one that is baking cookies and one that is preparing the next batch to bake. This speeds up the process.
• Silpat non-stick baking pads or parchment paper
• Stand mixer with bowl, whisk and paddle attachments
• Spatula for scraping the bowl.
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons
• Cookie scoop, size #40 (1 ½ Tablespoons)
• Timer
• Hot pads (heat protection for your hands)
• Cooling racks

Directions:

1. Line your baking sheets with a Silpat non-stick baking pads or parchment paper.
2. Set out the butter to come up to room temperature – at least an hour before preparing your batter.
3. Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees F.
4. Add the softened butter –unwrapped, into the mixing bowl. Now, using the whisk attachment set the speed to high. WHIP the butter for 3 minutes. It will become light and fluffy. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!!!! This is the key step to making your cookies light and fluffy!!!!
5. Turn off the mixer. Add in the 1 cup of powdered sugar. Set the speed to low and incorporate the powdered sugar so as not to create a sugar cloud. Now, turn the mixer up to high speed and beat for 1 additional minute.
6. Turn off the mixer, add in the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer to medium and incorporate the vanilla extract.
7. Turn off the mixer and add in all the flour. HAND STIR with the spatula the flour until it is not a powder anymore. Turn the mixer speed to medium and mix the cookie dough for 1 minute.
8. Remove the paddle attachment and scrap off all the dough. Using the cookie scooper, scoop out a level amount of dough and place onto the lined cookie baking sheet. Place about 1 inch apart.

   

   Space the cookies, at least 1-inch apart. They don't spread like regular cookies, but they are fragile and you will need the space to use a your spatula to remove them from your baking sheet.

9. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees f oven for 10 – 12 minutes; the cookies should be lightly golden tan around the base of the cookie. The tops will remain snowy white.
10. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.
11. Let them cool for 20 minutes before storing in a sealed container. Store at room temperature…if there are any leftover, that is!

Delicious, flakey, airy, golden nuggets!

VARIATIONS & TOPPERS:

•  Try pressing your thumb into the center of the raw dough before baking. Fill each well with a few chocolate chips. Bake as described above. As soon as the cookies finish baking, stir the chips lightly with a toothpick.

• Again, press the center of each raw cookie dough ball before baking and then add about 2 teaspoons of your favorite flavor of jam into each cookie well. Bake as instructed above!

Candied Bacon - Heavenly!!!!!

CANDIED BACON - DELICIOUS, SCRUMPTIOUS AND ADDICTING!

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe. Today was a baking and cooking day for me as I was getting ready for Bible study group tonight. I like to have a few snacks for the gang. 

Do you like bacon? I DO, I DO!!!! This is the most superb way to prepare bacon and, guess what? It's so simple and so heavenly! I can guarantee that when you make a batch of this "Food of the Gods" you will have a line to your kitchen just waiting for you to pull out a pan of this "crack" from the oven.
Go ahead, I dare you to make a batch! You'll see...if you make some, they will come! Guaranteed!

RECIPE:

FIRST THINGS FIRST - DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!

Prepare your cookie sheet by lining it with foil! Completely wrap the entire baking surface with foil....and then lay out a piece of parchment paper over that!
WARNING: if you skip this step, I hope you have a power sprayer or a roll of coins for the car wash, because the bacon WILL stick to an unprotected pan and the brown sugar....well, it will make sugar cement that will not come off for about 100 years!!! Not kidding! I know this from experience and I had to buy new pans.
DON'T try to make this reicpe by putting the bacon on wire racks either. The sugar will become cemented into the small holes of the rack and you will have to be soak them overnight with boiling water or harsh chemicals. Next, you will have to use a wire brush to get off the baked on caramelized sugar cement!

PREP STEPS:
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

1. Pan Prep: Take two pieces of foil - larger in length than the cookie sheet by a couple of inches at both ends. Fold the two pieces together at one of the longest sides to create a single large piece of foil. Fold and crease the seam of the foil several times to make a good seal. Now, place this now huge piece of foil over the cookie sheet and crinkle the edges tightly around all the edges of the cookie sheet.
2. Next, place one piece of parchment paper over the bottom surface of the foil lined cookie sheet -- the bottom surface only -- no need to wrap the sides with the parchment.
3. Place two large pieces of parchment paper on the surface of your counter...to be used when the bacon is finished cooking.
4. Have some paper towels available to touch the bacon before placing on parchment after they are cooked to remove some of the bacon grease.

RECIPE:

• 1 pound of THICK sliced, smoked bacon (I use applewood smoked) DO NOT USE THIN SLICED BACON!
• 3/4 to 1 cup of dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar will do)
• 2 teaspoons ground Cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Lay out, single layer, all the bacon that will fit on one cookie sheet. I usually cannot fit the entire
   
   pound of bacon on one cookie sheet...you might have to use two cookie sheets. or make two separate batches. I leave a small gap between each piece of bacon.
2. Sprinkle on the brown sugar and spread it out evenly over the top of all the bacon. Some of the bacon will peep through, but mostly it will be generously covered.
3. Carefully and as lightly as possible, distribute the cayenne pepper over the brown sugar. You will hardly be able to tell that it is on there...be careful. A little bit goes a long way!
4. Place one cookie sheet in the oven at a time. CENTER most rack.
5. Bake at 350F degrees for about 25 minutes. The edge pieces will darken more! So, if they get too dark, pull them out and let the center piece continue to darken. They should be the color of dark amber ale when done.
   CAREFUL!!!! IF you do not keep a close eye on the bacon, it will go from beautiful caramelized to BURNT in a flash!
   
6. CAUTION!!!!Remove the finished bacon from the oven...HOT SUGAR! HOT GREASE! IT WILL BURN if it touches your skin!!!!
   
7. Using your tongs, carefully, pick up one piece of bacon from the pan, lightly touch the bacon to a

   

   See a few of the pieces of bacon are really dark...
   they were close to the edge of the baking sheet.

   piece of paper towel to remove some of the excess grease and place the bacon on the parchment paper you have already put on the counter. Let it cool to harden.
8. In about 5 to 10 minutes, the bacon will be hard and crunchy. Store in a dry place in a sealed container...if there are any leftovers. LOL!

NOTE:

the this picture of my shiny baking sheet is how it looked after I removed the foil...after the

grease and sugar cement had cooled completely, I removed the foil and parchment and then tossed it into a trash can...see?! NO sticky sugar cement. No mess! EASY to clean up...simply remove the foil and throw it in the trash. It pays to prepare!