Homestead Cheddar Pecan Shortbread Recipes

CHEDDAR-PECAN SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Cool completely (about 20 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
• 2. Process cheese and butter in a food processor 10 to 15 seconds or until creamy stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add flour and the next 3 ingredients; pulse 9 to 10 times or until the mixture is crumbly. Add toasted pecans, pulse 4 to 5 times or until combined. Add half and half, and process 10 to 15 seconds or until the mixture forms moist clumps.
• 3. Transfer mixture onto plastic wrap on a flat surface; gather dough into a ball, and flatten into a 1 inch thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour until firm, or seal wrapped dough in a zip-top plastiac freezer bag and chill up to 3 days.
• 4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with 1 1/2 and 2 inch cookie cutters. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
• 5. Bake at 325° for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes.

PECAN SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter/sugar mixture. Add the pecans and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut into 2 1/2-inch squares with a plain or fluted cutter (or cut into any shape you like). Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.

CHEDDAR & HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Blitz 85g of the hazelnuts in a food processor until ground. Cut the rest of the hazelnuts in half.
• Pulse the ground hazelnuts, butter, flour, cheddar, ½ tsp salt and the egg in the food processor a few times. Don't pulse for too long - you want the mixture to look like breadcrumbs rather than coming together in a ball. Tip the mixture onto a large piece of cling film and, using the cling film to shape it, mould it into a ball, then leave in the fridge for a couple of hours.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Pull off chunks of the dough - about a tablespoon at a time - and roll each piece into a ball. Place on a baking sheet and flatten each biscuit to around 3.5cm across, leaving room between each one. Push 3-4 hazelnut halves into each biscuit. Cook for 10 mins, or until the biscuits are golden brown. Leave to cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Will keep for up to three days in an airtight container.

CHEDDAR SHORTBREAD BITES

Steps:

• Combine flour, butter, salt and red pepper in bowl; beat at medium speed until dough forms. Add cheese; mix until ball forms. Shape dough into disk; wrap in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. (It will be hard to roll at first, but will soften. Press together any cracks that form on edges of dough.) Cut dough with 1 1/2-inch cookie cutters or pizza cutter into desired shapes. Place onto ungreased baking sheets.
• Beat egg white and water together in bowl. Brush cut-outs with egg wash; sprinkle with seeds.
• Bake 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Immediately loosen from pan; let cool on pan.

CHEDDAR SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Combine butter, mustard, and pepper in food processor, and whirl to combine. Add cheese and whirl again to mix.
• Add flour and pulse just until blended.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with desired small cookie cutter and transfer to cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom.

CHEDDAR SHORTBREAD ROUNDS

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, and spices in a food processor. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add cheese and process until dough starts to hold together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half, and roll into logs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut dough into 1/4 inch-thick slices and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until slightly browned. Let cool completely on cookie sheets; remove. Store in an airtight container.

CHEDDAR PECAN WAFERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the butter, Cheddar cheese, pecans, cayenne pepper and salt until well blended. Gradually mix in flour, using your hands to work in the last bit. The result will be a stiff dough much like shortbread. Form the dough into logs about 1 inch thick, and 10 inches long. Wrap each log in waxed paper, and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Unwrap the chilled logs of dough, and slice into 1/4 inch thick rounds using a sharp knife. Place slices about 1 inch apart onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for exactly 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm and slightly browned at the edges. Allow wafers to cool for 1 minute before removing from the pan.

CHEDDAR CHEESE SHORTBREAD CRACKERS

Steps:

• Process cheese, flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, salt, dry mustard, and pepper in a food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles wet sand, about 20 seconds. With processor running, add water through food chute; process until dough forms a ball, 10 to 15 seconds.
• Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a 6-inch log, about 1 ¾ inches in diameter. Wrap logs individually in plastic wrap; chill at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with oven racks in upper and lower thirds. Unwrap logs, and slice into ⅛-inch-thick rounds. Place dough rounds, ½ inch apart, on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven until edges are golden brown, about 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets top to bottom halfway through bake time. Cool crackers on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.

PECAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cream butter, oil, white sugar, and confectioners' sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in vanilla extract.
• Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir gradually into the butter mixture. Stir in pecans.
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place onto ungreased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely on wire racks, 20 to 30 minutes.

SCOTTISH SHARP-CHEDDAR SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Using electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat together butter, salt, black pepper, and cayenne at low speed just until blended. Add Cheddar and flour and mix at low speed just until smooth (do not overmix). Shape dough into disk, wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper, and chill 30 minutes.
• Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4- to 1/8-inch-thick round. Using 1 1/2- to 2-inch round cutter, cut out rounds and arrange 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Reroll scraps if desired (rerolled scraps will be tougher).
• Bake shortbread until lightly golden and beginning to brown on edges, about 13 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

HOMESTEAD CHEDDAR PECAN SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Place flour, pepper, salt, and cayenne in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and cheese and process until smooth. Cover the work bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside to rest for about 15 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. Work the dough in your hands (it should be soft and pliable like Play-Doh), and shape it into 2 equal cylinders, 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Place the crushed pecan pieces on a rimmed cookie sheet, and roll each cylinder in the nuts. Wrap each cylinder tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Position oven racks in the top and bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter two baking sheets, or line them with silicone baking liners or parchment paper. While the oven heats, working with one cylinder at a time, cut each cylinder into ¼-inch-thick slices, and place slices 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Place a pecan half in the center of each slice. Bake the shortbread, rotating the baking sheets once, until they are lightly browned at the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove cookies from the baking sheet, and set on a rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight tin or plasticware between sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper.