Elfin Shortbread Bites Recipes

ELFIN SHORTBREAD BITES

Steps:

• In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour and sugar.
• Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling.
• Stir in sprinkles.
• For Christmas you might want to use 1 T green sprinkles and 1 T red sprinkles.
• Form mixture into a ball and knead until smooth.
• Roll or pat dough on an ungreased cookie sheet into an 8x5 inch rectangle.
• Cut into 1/2 inch squares.
• Separate the squares on the cookie sheet.
• Bake in a 325F oven for 12 minutes or until the bottoms just start to brown.
• Transfer to a wire racks covered with wax paper to cool.
• Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to three days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

SAVORY SPICED SHORTBREAD BITES

Steps:

• Beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Blend all seasonings well with flour, and add all to the butter mixture. Mix with until just combined.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead about 8 times with hands, until dough comes together. Add ice water as needed if dough is too crumbly. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. On a sheet of wax paper, roll each piece of dough into a 3/4"-thick log. Sprinkle lightly with a dusting of cayenne, or a mix of all the above spices if you like.
• Wrap each log in wax paper and freeze for about 20 minutes, until fairly firm.
• Slice about 1/2" thick and bake for 15 minutes at 350.
• (The logs can be frozen a week or more ahead of time, but you will want to let them soften a bit before slicing, to prevent crumbling.).