Appreciation Shortbread & A Giveaway

I am one lucky blessed woman. I honestly believe that I have the best husband in the world. Shouldn't we all feel that way about our significant others though? When I went out of town, this past weekend, Mr. H cleaned house, did laundry, put up the Christmas tree and did a little decorating just to help me out. Then yesterday he was scrubbing toilets! That means the world to me since I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately- there's just so much to do and very little time to do it all. I appreciate him and his thoughtfulness, but I don't always have the appropriate words to express how I feel. "I love you" and "thank you" don't always seem adequate.

To sweeten my "thank you's" I made him these cappuccino shortbread. He's a big coffee, chocolate and butter lover, and these filled the bill. This recipe comes from Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook. Lots of bloggers have been reviewing their cookbook and famous chocolate chip cookies, and I am no different. When someone offers me cookies and a cookbook for free, I don't hesitate to say yes :-) Thank you Tate's! These shortbread (pg.33) were crunchy, buttery, flaky and loaded with intense coffee flavor. The chocolate bits were just an added bonus. And they're pretty enough to share, so be sure to make an extra batch of this decadent treat.

I received 3 different flavors of cookies- Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Macadamia, and Oatmeal Raisin. These cookies are thin and crunchy, not soft and chewy. They made with salted butter, so there's a bit of salty and sweet in every bite. My MIL likes her cookies crunchy like this so I shared with her. We thought they had good flavor but wished for more chocolate chips. The oatmeal raisin (which I normally love) was my least favorite, because they weren't crisp or chewy, they were somewhere in between which was slightly off putting to me. The cookbook has lots of great sounding recipes and I look forward to making a few more things from it. My only complaint is that there aren't many pictures, but that's not a deal breaker for me. That just means I have to read the recipe and use my imagination.

Cappuccino Shortbread slightly adapted from Tate's Bake Shop

Printer Friendly Version

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate mini morsels

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients except for the chocolate in a mixing bowl. Mix until everything is combined. Add the chocolate and mix again to incorporate.

Put the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch square pan (I used a round pan). Pat down the mixture evenly.

Bake them for about 30 minutes or until they are brown on the edges.

Remove the pan from the oven. While still hot from the oven, cut the shortbread into desired sizes (I used a bench scraper). Let cool completely in pan.

Yield: 32 small or 16 larger pieces. (I got 12 generous triangles).

The generous folks at Tate's Bake Shop want to give one of you the same gift pack that I received. The giveaway is open to US residents only.

One winner will receive:

• A copy of Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook by Kathleen King
• 3 boxes of Tate's Bake Shop cookies

To enter this giveaway:

• Please leave a comment here telling me how you show your appreciation for the people you care about.
• For a second entry, become a fan of Tate's Bake Shop on Facebook. Leave an additional (separate) comment for this.

This deal keeps getting sweeter. If you'd like to purchase any of Tate's baked goods, enter "cookies" at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase, through December 31, 2010.

You have until Friday, December 17th, then I'll pick a winner. Good luck!

Have a great weekend!