Remember how my mom told me not to bring any baked good homes? Well, of course I did. And guess who wasn’t upset by my doing so?
Imagine. That.
In my family, I serve as the conscience for everyone at the table. I’m the gate keeper of the salt, butter, and other unhealthy and unnecessary condiments, in particular. I like to remind my father than when he eats too late at night – or eats the wrong foods, he’s going to pay for it later.
Yesterday, my brother’s girlfriend dropped off 2 beautiful tins of homemade goodies. Red Velvet Truffles? Seriously?! Seriously. It’s a Christmas miracle I put the breaks on after one. But then I had a buckeye and a peanut cluster, too.
And then it hit me…that was way over-doing it. After a beautiful home-cooked meal I had reached that uncomfortable level of indulgence. Don’t you hate that? Note to self: have that be the first and last time you do that this holiday season.
Later in the night, Mr. Prevention was playing my conscience. As I complained of an upset stomach, he questioned how many goodies I had had. I’m not used to him keeping tabs on my indulgences as I’m usually the one commenting on his evening tapeworm…
I’m to the point after baking, eating, and posting all the glorious cookies…they don’t even interest me at this point in time. Not in the least. Not for today.
However, the lemon in these Fruit and Nut Shortbread Cookies make them seem airy, light, and not-so-sinful.
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Fruit and Nut Shortbread Cookies
Prep time:
2 hours
Cook time:
12 mins
Total time:
2 hours 12 mins
Serves: 36
A lemon-y shortbread cookie that is crumbly, slightly sweet, and filled with red and green fruit and nut goodies!
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup dried cherries, chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped
¼ cup raisins, chopped
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup pistachios, chopped
¼ cup cashews, chopped
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the zest and juice of one lemon and vanilla extract; mix well. Add the flour and mix to combine.
Mix in dried cherries, raisins, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, and cashews.
Divide the dough into 2 parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll each section of dough into a log measuring about 8″ long and 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or until the dough is firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Cut logs into ¼″ thick slices and place them on the baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.
Notes
Recipe from My Friend’s Bakery
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 cookie Calories: 104 Fat: 6.08 Carbohydrates: 11.3 Sugar: 4.9 Sodium: 21 Fiber: 0.3 Protein: 1.3 Cholesterol: 13
3.2.2124
Church & family fun day!
Be well,
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