Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This cookie is designed for those whose love of shortbread is matched by a fondness for lemon curd. This simple cookie is a breeze to make and it is very forgiving. As far as ingredients go, homemade lemon curd is fine, but any commercial brand whose taste appeals to you can be used if you are pressed for time. This is a very short cookie, so I'm afraid it doesn't travel well. The cookies, however, are perfect for a coffee or tea that is held in your own home. Do give them a try. You'll find they are addictive. Here is how the cookies are made.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This very simple recipe comes from the blog The View from Great Island. Those of you who love shortbread, peanut butter and milk chocolate are about to come one step closer to paradise, because these cookies have all three. It takes about 10 minutes to make the dough for the shortbread, but be forewarned, it must chill a bit before it can be sliced and baked. This is a very short (buttery) and crumbly dough, so don't be discourage if it crumbles when you cut it. That happens to me when I make these cookies, so, now that I am older, I simply do a bit of plastic surgery and press the dough back into a shape that resembles a disk. The younger me was a stickler and would never do, much less admit that it was necessary to reshape them. I'm not sure that is a good thing my standards have been lowered to that degree, but I have a family so enamored of cookies that they don't take time to check their appearance and I remain a heroine. I have one caution to share regarding preparation of these cookies. Do not use natural peanut butter to make them. The cookies need the extra oil that is found in commercial brands for proper consistency. Other than that, making them is a breeze. Here is how it is done.

Hazelnut Shortbread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There are few things in the realm of snacks and sweets that tempt me to overindulge. Nonetheless, my fondness for shortbread is so epic that I'll only make it when there is a gang around to help me eat it. Left to my own devices, it would disappear within 24 hours and I'd have to spend the rest of my life on a treadmill. I blame you for what transpired today and I hold you personally responsible for my most recent fall from grace. I saw Diana Rattray's recipe for hazelnut shortbread and I felt duty bound to test it for you. In the blink of an eye, I found myself sitting at the table with a cup of French press coffee and one cookie. I wasn't sure the hazelnut flavor was all that I wanted it to be, so, of course, I had to try another and then another. It got ugly. I am writing this post while on the treadmill, so I do hope you'll try this recipe. You owe me. Here is how this lovely, nutty and simple shortbread is made.