Has anyone heard that Dr. Pepper Ten radio commercial that asks all these questions starting with "Have you ever...?" The gist of the commercial is that women are supposed to answer "No" for this list of questions because we do womanly things and those are manly things. Blogging about bacon is apparently on the man list. Oh please!

Here's my "manly," brief blog about bacon. I love bacon. I love bacon on pretty much anything and everything. Bacon and eggs, bacon on cupcakes, chocolate covered bacon, bacon in pasta, scallops wrapped in bacon, filet mignon with bacon (red meat, extra man points!), cheddar bacon burgers, blts, etc. One last thing, I really love bacon in dips. Especially this hot and cheesy bacon dip.

The dip is super easy, and it so delicious. I'll be honest, I would sit there and eat a dip I thought was just average for 20 minutes without thinking twice (I'll blame it on the salt in chips). However, this dip is WAY above average. In fact, it is one of my new favorites. Prepare to be hooked!

Sorry the pictures aren't great. I have yet to find a good way to take pictures of dips. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

Hot and Cheesy Bacon Dip
Recipe from Heather Likes Food

1 C Mayonnaise

1 C Sour Cream

2 C Grated Monterrey Jack Cheese

1/2 C shredded Parmesan cheese

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder (I used 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic from the fridge)

1 tsp dried tarragon, rubbed between your palms to release some of the oils of the herb

a few dashes Chipotle Chili Powder, more if you like it spicy! (I used Cayenne Pepper since I didn't have this on hand - just a dash or two)

Preheat Oven to 400°

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and transfer to an 8×8″ baking dish. Bake for 15-20  minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with chips, veggies, or bread. 

Note: I got a little cheese crazy and added it on top as well the most recent time I made this (pictured). This makes the top very oily. I think the Parmesan is fine to do this with (what I did the first time), but the Monterrey Jack is not.

I know most people post their holiday-themed foods before the holiday itself so that everyone else can make them, but unfortunately I don't have the time or the money to make things twice. Therefore, I'm a day late, but here are the green velvet cupcakes I made yesterday! Maybe you can find another excuse to make green cupcakes, such as if your favorite team's color is green. You can also use this exact recipe but change it to other colors depending on why you are making them.

Green is a slightly off-putting color in food at times. I always think about when green and purple ketchup was introduced and everyone went crazy. I didn't like dipping my fries in purple ketchup, and I had easily convinced myself it tasted different. Alas, I love themed foods, so I decided to get over my green issues and jazz these cupcakes up for St. Patty's Day. My green is a little darker than I would've liked, and I think it's because I had to add a few ounces of regular red velvet cake mix to reach the 18 ounces it calls for. I can't remember which is which, but Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines have different box sizes, and if you have a recipe that calls for the 18 oz box you should make sure you get the right brand at the grocery store.

I'm a red velvet fanatic, and I am pretty particular about it because I've tried so many different red velvet cupcakes. I have one rule: you absolutely must use cream cheese icing. Making a red velvet cake or red velvet cupcakes and not using cream cheese icing is a sin (at least in the south). This is the first time I've tried this recipe and it is going to be my new go to for cream cheese icing. It's easier than almost all of the others I've tried, it uses less cream cheese and it tastes amazing. I'd prefer to make a more homemade version of the cupcakes if I had time, but even with the cake mix there are still enough other ingredients that I didn't feel like I was making just a boxed mix recipe.

Enjoy!

Green Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
Recipe from Food Family Finds

Cupcakes

• 1 package (18 1/4 ounces) German chocolate cake mix with pudding
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 bottle (1 ounce) McCormick® Green Food Color
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat cake mix, sour cream, water, cocoa powder, oil, food color, eggs and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.
2. Pour batter into 24 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Icing
Recipe from Slash Food

Ingredients
8 oz cold cream cheese
5 tbsp. softened butter
2 tsp vanilla
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese (not rock solid, but it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator) with 5 Tbsp. softened butter and 2 tsp. vanilla until combined. Gradually add 2 c. powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. Continue to add more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste (I added at least 3/4 cup more).

Last week was Spring Break. This week is my birthday. It's 75 degrees in North Carolina, and March Madness is upon us. All is well.

You'd think that after a week of boozin and cruisin (for lack of a better way to sum up spring break), I would be in detox mode. Kind of like most girls were dieting in the weeks leading up to Spring Break and I was eating mac and cheese. Nope. I made this. And it's amazing.

I love finding easy recipes, and this is one of the easier breakfast recipes I've come across. If you haven't noticed, I love me some Pillsbury crescents and biscuits. While I'd prefer homemade biscuits (who wouldn't?), these do the trick for a quick fix in a recipe. My step sister and brother-in-law are starting a food truck in Nashville that serves fresh biscuits and biscuit sandwiches. Now, if I were closer and had the option to have the family make me delicious homemade biscuits I wouldn't have to resort to the blue tube, but such is life. If you live around the Nashville area check out www.biscuitlovetruck.com. Nom.

Although senior year still doesn't seem to be giving me as much time as I'd like for me to blog, I'm going to get back on my post a week schedule. Any suggestions for what I should make myself for my birthday? I know, I know. It's my birthday, I shouldn't be doing the baking..but that's just no fun.

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring
Recipe from All Things Deliciousness

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits
 * I used one tube Grands. One and a half would've been ideal, but one worked great as well.

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1/2 C. pancake syrup

1/3 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, opt. (I opted out on both of these. Per usual.)

1/4 C. chopped almonds, opt.

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired).

Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.
Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.
Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.
Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

Mac & Cheese. What a match made in heaven. If I had known the homemade kind was this easy all along I would've stopped making it from the box years ago. Move over Kraft. Move over Annie's white cheddar shells. Helllooo creamy, dreamy, cheesy white cheddar homemade macaroni and cheese.

Spring break starts next Friday, and I'm going on a cruise. Yet somehow or another I find myself making this. What can ya do? When carbs call, I answer.

This is just as simple as any boxed version of macaroni and cheese. The only problem I ran into making it was that I accidentally managed to get a cloud of red pepper in my nose and mouth when breaking into a new spice container. This sent me into a coughing attack, which then made my eyes water, which then caused spontaneous coughing for the next hour. It's a good thing I'm by myself in the kitchen sometimes.

I chose to make this with sharp white cheddar instead of the regular cheddar the recipe called for. Though I do love white cheddar, the only reason I had it on hand is because it was on sale at the grocery store. I'm sure regular sharp cheddar is great as well. I feel like with this recipe you could experiment with any type of cheese in that genre. The same thing goes for pasta. I chose shells because I used to love Kraft shells since they were like little pockets of cheese. Use whatever you have on hand or whatever sparks your interest at the store. One important thing that I have read on countless macaroni and cheese recipes is to make sure you don't buy pre-shredded cheese. It will take you one minute longer to grate the cheese yourself, and from what I've heard the difference is night and day.

You will love this recipe -- enjoy!

Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Recipe from Evil Shenanigans
Serves 4-6

8oz macaroni, or any smallish tube shaped pasta
1 tablespoon butter
6 oz evaporated milk
6 oz freshly grated cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper

Boil the pasta according to package directions, but reduce the cooking time by one minute.  Drain and pour back into the cooking pot.

Over medium-low heat, add the butter and stir until melted.

Mix the egg, milk, and spices and pour over the pasta.  Stir until it begins to thicken, about three to five minutes. 

Remove the pan from the heat then add the cheese in four installments, making sure the first is melted completely before adding the next.

Hectic weeks sure do get in the way of posting. It's a shame because the number one stress reliever is proven to be chocolate, so just when I need it most I'm too busy to make any chocolate treats. Thankfully I have a very large emergency stash of chocolate and animal crackers for times like this. Does anyone else have an obsession with animal crackers? I load up on them in the $1 section of Target, but I've begun to realize no one else likes them.. To each his own!

Anywho, the question is: why did I decide to try out a new chocolate chip cookie recipe when I have already given my heart to this recipe? I guess it was something about the picture. It also might have been the description that said "Readers, whatever you're doing, stop. Right now. Make these cookies NOW."

I didn't make them right when I read that, but it did move them to the top of my "must make list."

The secret/odd ingredient in these is cornstarch. They are incredible. My dough was a bit warm when I finished, so I stuck it in the fridge for 30 min or so before making them. That's the only thing I changed about the recipe. The longer you can put them in the fridge the less they will spread. The final result is a chewy, moist, flavorful cookie. As far as I know, it's impossible to have just one. Regardless of whether you already have a favorite cookie recipe, this is absolutely one to try. I don't know if it beats my previous favorite recipe, but it's pretty darn close! Enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe from Apple a Day

Ingredients: 

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 c. brown sugar 

1/4 c. granulated sugar 

1 egg 

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

2 c. all purpose flour 

2 tsp. cornstarch 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. salt 

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

3.  Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.

4.  Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)

5.  Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.  Makes approximately 3 dozen.  Try not to eat them all.

There are few things in life better than a full cookie jar.

This is a perfect example of the kind of food I simply cannot have around my house. It's effortless, bite-sized and addictive. I have a theory for puppy chow: it is 10x better when you double the toppings and keep the amount of chex mix the same (it's truly a wonder that I'm not 400lbs by this point in my life). Still, if you want to make the best puppy chow around, try it out. No one likes digging around in the bowl for the pieces with the most topping.

This lemon puppy chow reminds me of lemon cooler cookies from the grocery store (their real name is escaping me). I'm enjoying them as a nice break from chocolate, but I will also be happy when the bag of them isn't tempting me in my kitchen. I've grabbed a handful pretty much every time I've been in there...and I'm in the kitchen a lot. If you're ever looking for something quick and easy to bring to a party, this is it. I'm the type to spend days coming up with what I will contribute to a buffet, but I'm also finally coming to the realization that it's often the easiest things that get the best reviews. Enjoy!

Chex Lemon Buddies
Recipe from Joyful Whimsy

9 cups Rice Chex cereal 
1 1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips 
1/4 cup butter or margarine 
4 tsp grated lemon peel 
2 Tbsp lemon juice 
2 cups powdered sugar

Measure cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a microwaveable bowl, microwave chips, butter, lemon peel and juice uncovered on high for 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 more seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into a 2-gallon re-sealable food storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar, seal bag and shake until all the cereal is well-coated. 

I've had a lot of breakfast casseroles. I'm not sure how it is in other parts of the country, but in the south I feel like just about everyone I know has their own version of a breakfast casserole. In my family we've always used my grandmother's. Her breakfast casserole has been on the table for Christmas brunch since before I was born. It's a good, no gimmicks breakfast casserole. My family doesn't like it when people throw onions or peppers in, that ruins a perfectly good casserole (though I wouldn't object to mushrooms). My grandmother does it just right. I tell you this because I want you to realize that saying a recipe is better than my grandmother's is going against my entire upbringing. I blame Paula Dean.

This casserole has potatoes in it, something not in my grandmother's, and I think those really add to the overall makeup of it. It's incredibly cheesy and rich, and absolutely amazing. Will I try to get my grandmother to start serving this? Oh goodness no. Her recipe will be in my recipe book for the rest of my life..but it will be right beside this one, and this is the one that I will be using.

As a side note, Paula Dean's cookbook The Southern Cooking Bible is fantastic. I've linked to it on Amazon, so if you're feeling in the mood to buy a new cookbook today this is a great choice!

Sunday Morning Breakfast Casserole
Recipe from Paula Dean's The Southern Cooking Bible

Ingredients

6 slices day-old white bread (french bread works best)*
1 lb breakfast sausage
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced cooked, unpeeled red potatoes
1 1/2 cups mixed shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack cheese
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper

Directions

1. Grease a 2.5-3 quart baking dish (attractive enough to bring to the table) with butter, oil, or cooking spray. Cube the bread and place in the dish in a single even layer.
2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until it's almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain off the fat. Layer the sausage over the bread, and top with potatoes. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard powder, salt, and black pepper to taste. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and potatoes in the casserole. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. When ready to cook the casserole, preheat the oven to 350. Bake the casserole until set and golden about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

*Recipe as written calls for two slices of bread. I adjusted this based on reader comments. If you are using big slices of thick bread you can go down from six. I would recommend using a sturdy, day-old white bread for best results. Regular sandwich bread won't give the same crunch of the crust, and it is more likely to get mushy.
 
 

I'm coming to terms with the fact that kneading is just not my thing. I think I get the hang out if it, and the next thing you know my hands (and entire kitchen for that matter) are covered in sticky dough and flour. So, as you can imagine, it frustrates me that most of the best foods in life require this skill. I have yet to figure out the extent to which a dough hook can work for kneading. Anyone know?

But oh...this bread. It looked so incredible I had to give it a try. After making this four times I finally got the hang of kneading. The dough failed before I even got to roll it out the first time, the next two I finished but weren't quite perfect, and the last one was great. This recipe only has one minute of kneading, so I realize a 25 percent success rate is somewhat pathetic. Oh well. None of mine rose as much as the bread on 'Top with Cinnamon' where I got the recipe from, but it's so darn amazing I don't even mind. First of all, pull apart bread is fun. Everyone loves fun food. Secondly, every piece is like the inside of a cinnamon roll. Sometimes I feel like the outside of cinnamon rolls are wasted bites. I just want the inside, and I'm trying to quickly get the other part over with. Other examples of this: pecan pinwheels, grilled cheese sandwiches, pop tarts. It's amazing the extent to which I analyze food.

It seems like there are many steps to this recipe, and don't get me wrong, there are. However, if you aren't a terrible kneader like myself, this recipe is relatively simple and made from things you probably already have on hand. By the third loaf I felt like a pro! Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread
Recipe from Top With Cinnamon
and Inspired by Joy the Baker's Cinnamon-Sugar Pull apart bread

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp dried active yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch

1/4 cup butter, melted

For the Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
hot water

**I found the pictures of the process extremely helpful, but unfortunately I made this at night all three times, so phone pictures will have to do for now!

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, place the cornstarch, sugar, yeast, salt and 2 cups of flour.

Heat the milk and butter together in a small saucepan until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add the water. Let this cool for about a minute, then add the vanilla, and pour all the liquid into the bowl with the flour. Stir this all together until all the dry ingredients are moistened.

Start the mixer on a low speed as you add the eggs one at a time until they're just incorporated. Stop the mixer and add 1/2 cup more flour to the bowl. Mix again at low speed for about half a minute. Add 2 more tbsp of flour and mix in on medium speed until you get a smooth, slightly sticky dough (about 45 seconds).

On a work surface sprinkled with 2 tbsp of flour, knead the dough until it's not sticky (about 1 minute). Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl and cover it with cling film. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it's doubled in size which should take about an hour.


While the dough rises, make the filling by combining the dark brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch in a small bowl.

Once the dough is ready, lightly flour your work surface and gently tip the dough onto it, sprinkling a little more flour on top of the dough. Roll the dough out into roughly a 40 x 40 cm square, then brush about 2/3 of the butter over the entire surface of the dough.

         

Sprinkle 3/4 of the filling mixture evenly on top of the butter on the dough, then roll the dough tightly into a log.

Place the log horizontally on your work surface. Take a piece of thread and place it vertically on your work surface. With the thread still vertical, place one end of the log on top of the middle of the thread. Move the thread to the left or right, so it is still under the dough, and is 1 cm in from the end of the log. Take the ends of the thread and hold them above the log. Cross them over each other once and pull them away from each other until the thread has cut through the dough completely.
**This description confused me. You are basically tying a knot over the dough and pulling it tight until it cuts through. Then you tie another knot...and another. Repeat until you've cut all the dough into 1 cm thick slices.

 

On a piece of baking paper, use a rolling pin to flatten each slice to 3-4 mm thick *** I used the lazy method which I like to call steam rolling. Flattened them all at once! Brush the top of each flattened slice with a little of the remaining melted butter, ans sprinkle on about 3/4 tsp of filling mixture. Place them on top of each other so you have 4-5 stacks each containing about 5 slices.

Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place your stacks of dough into the greased loaf pan, cover loosely with clingfilm, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes (I preheat the oven for a few minutes, turn it off, and then put the bowl in there with the door cracked..pictures show my before and after).

Bake the bread for 25-35 minutes when it should be golden brown on top. Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Meanwhile make the glaze by stirring the vanilla then the hot water, a little at a time into the powdered sugar in a small bowl until you get a slightly runny icing.

Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and gently tip the loaf out onto the wire rack. Put the bread the right way round again and then brush with the glaze.

I'll keep this short and sweet: this is one of my all time favorite recipes. If there is one crockpot recipe you need in your repertoire, this is it. But truthfully, after making it once you won't even need the recipe because it's just so darn easy.

Three ingredients and almost zero work. The result is a juicy, flavorful shredded chicken that makes some killer tacos. I like to load up my tacos, so they look a bit messy in the pictures. They were like that in real life, too. Messy and delicious. I've been told before I have a knack for ordering the messiest foods on any menu. Why? Because the messiest foods are the best foods. It's a fact.

You can easily put together a great tortilla soup with the leftovers from the chicken. I've included the recipe at the bottom of this post. If you read through the comments you'll also see a number of great reader suggestions for ways to adapt the recipe. My favorite twist is to add a block of cream cheese about 15 minutes before the chicken is served. I didn't think this recipe could get any better until I made them and tried this out. Amazing. I've also seen that adding a can of cream of mushroom soup when you throw in the ingredients is delicious. I'll be trying that next time!

**As a side note, I am SO grateful to everyone who has made this recipe and/or commented on the post. I may not be able to respond to all of the comments, but I read every one, and I absolutely love them! I can't tell you how happy it makes me that people are enjoying the recipe so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Serves: ~12 people

1 1oz Envelope Taco Seasoning*
6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, thawed
1 16oz jar Salsa*

Dump all ingredients into a crockpot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. You do not need to add any water to the taco seasoning. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese and/or sour cream. This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, quesadillas, etc. Any leftover chicken can then be used for tortilla soup (make it the next day or freeze the chicken to use at a later time).

When I don't want quite as much food I cut the recipe in half. You don't have to get too exact about the measurements. I use three or four chicken breasts--whatever comes in the smaller package at the grocery store--and use between half and 3/4 of the amount of salsa and taco seasoning called for in the full recipe. The only result of using too much salsa for the amount of chicken you use is that it will have more liquid when it's done. The flavor will be the same. Pour out a little of the liquid when the chicken is cooked and you're good to go!

*I use Old El Paso Reduced Sodium for the seasoning. For the salsa I switch between brands, but Newman's Own and Pace are my favorites. Trader Joe's Mango Salsa and other kinds with mango and peach flavors are delicious in this recipe as well.  If you want to avoid using processed ingredients you can make this recipe using homemade salsa and homemade taco seasoning and achieve the same results with the added bonus of skipping out on the preservatives and such in pre-packaged ingredients.

Here is the tortilla soup recipe from one of the readers. Thanks, Cissy!

2 cups of the shredded chicken
One 32oz box of chicken broth
One can corn(drain)
2 handfuls chopped cilantro
One squeezed lime
One can diced tomatoes (reg size)
One can diced tomatoes w/ chiles (if you can't find the can get another can of diced tomatoes and a can of diced chiles)
1/2 large yellow onion
One can black beans
2-3 table spoons of tomato paste
2 teaspoons of cumin
2 teaspoons of chile powder
2 teaspoons of garlic powder

Dump everything in a pot and simmer for ~30 minutes. Garnish with cheese and crispy tortilla strips!

I'd usually say I don't like shortbread. In fact, under most circumstances I really, truly do not like it. I like warm, gooey cookies. Shortbread is crumbly and dry. I feel the same way about biscotti. Why on earth would you want something that looked like a delicious breadstick, but in reality is hard as a rock? Maybe my taste just isn't refined enough to drink coffee and eat biscotti. Who knows. However, this is the most gawked recipe of all time on FoodGawker, and surely the 200,000+ people who have looked at the post weren't completely out of their minds. 

Though these are unmistakably shortbread, each bite seems to melt in your mouth (versus crumbling down your shirt when you take a bite). I guess maybe the shortbread I've ruled out for so long was not based off of recipes like this. I also love that these are cut into squares. I chose not to measure out the squares or cut them all that carefully, but next time I make these I think I will spend the extra 2 minutes doing that so that I can make them more uniform. A slight confession, I actually accidentally made these last night with only one stick of butter and I still liked the taste. I had one with my breakfast this morning. If cookies can still be good with an entire stick of butter missing, that says something. Enjoy!

Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread
from Use Real Butter

1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp boiling water
8 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped OR 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water. Set aside to cool to tepid. Beat butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in vanilla and espresso, then reduce mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate or chips with a sturdy rubber spatula. Using the spatula, transfer dough to a gallon-size zip-loc bag. Put bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet (okay, I didn’t poke the cookies and they’re fine). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point (I didn’t do that either – I bake one sheet at a time). The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack. If you’d like, dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving. Makes about 3 dozen.