Recipe - 1996 2nd Place Winner Shortbread Cookies

1 cup Unsalted butter, softened
1 Three fourths cup Confectioners' sugar
1 One half teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
1 One half cup Allpurpose flour, sifted
before measuring
One half cup Finely ground hazelnuts or
macadamia nuts
One fourth cup Seedless raspberry
preserves (approx)
Food coloring as desired,
for decorating

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet(s) or line with
parchment paper.

2. Beat butter and One half cup of the confectioners' sugar in large bowl of
electric mixer on high speed until well combined. Mix in vanilla. Stop the
mixer and add the flour and ground nuts. Mix on low speed just until
combined.

3. Using 1 teaspoon dough for each, roll into rounds. Place on baking
sheet. Dip the bottom of a flat glass in confectioners' sugar, reserving
One fourth cup for this purpose. Press each ball, flattening to a 1inch round.

4. Bake just until they begin to color, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to a
wire rack to cool.

5. Spread bottoms of half the cookies with preserves, using about 1/4
teaspoon for each cookie. Sandwich together with another cookie.

6. For icing, mix remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar with just enough
water to make it spreading consistency. Tint icing with food color, if
desired.

7. Decorate top of cookies with icing, using a pastry bag, if desired.

Fifthplace winner in the 1995 Chicago Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest: by
Isabelle Clarke Garibaldi of Burr Ridge
Posted to MMRecipes Digest V3 #338

From: Linda Place placel@worldnet.att.net

Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 12:22:52 +0000