Cardamom Butter Squares
Cardamom Butter Squares might be just the hor d'oeuvre you are searching for. One serving contains 71 calories, 1g of protein, and 3g of fat. This recipe covers 1% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. This recipe serves 72. A mixture of baking powder, salt, confectioners sugar, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so flavorful. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes about 5 hours.
Instructions
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, and allspice in a bowl.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 4 minutes with a handheld. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until just combined.
Form dough into 2 (12-inch) logs (1 1/2 inches in diameter), each on its own sheet of plastic wrap. Use plastic wrap and your hands to roll, press, and square off sides of logs. Chill logs on a baking sheet until slightly firm, about 1 hour, then smooth logs with plastic wrap and flat side of a ruler to achieve straight sides. Chill logs on baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour.
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut enough scant 1/4-inch-thick slices from a log with a knife to fill 2 large ungreased baking sheets, arranging slices about 1 inch apart (chill remaining dough, wrapped in plastic wrap).
Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes total. Cool on sheets 3 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough on cooled baking sheets.
Whisk together espresso powder, vanilla, and 1 1/2 tablespoons milk until espresso powder is dissolved, then add confectioners sugar and enough additional milk to make a thick but pourable icing. Spoon into a sealable bag and snip 1/8 inch off a bottom corner.
Spoon melted chocolate into another sealable bag and snip 1/8 inch off a bottom corner.
Pipe some espresso icing and chocolate over each cookie and let cookies stand on racks until icing sets, about 2 hours.
· Dough logs can be chilled 5 days or frozen, wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap, 1 month (thaw in refrigerator just until they can be sliced).· Cookies (with or without icing) keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.