Monday, August 25, 2014

Super Simple Shortbread Bars

We use an easy shortbread recipe and we love it... there are so many ways to vary it..... and it is quick and easy to make.... AND it tastes WONDERFUL! :)


After mixing all of the ingredients together, it has a grainy texture...just put into the 9" x 13" greased pan and press it down.

My youngest daughter has made most of the shortbread in our home for the last couple of years.... here she is using a plastic sheet to press it down. Just remove the plastic and bake.

Here they are... browned on the edges, soft and buttery. This time they have dried blueberries in them. Sometimes we use dried cranberry, or other dried fruit or mini chocolate chips.

We also use this recipe, minus the fruit or chocolate, as a crust when making cheesecake.... easy and so good. :)




  The shortbread is a great addition to tea.... or snacks.....














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                              Super Simple Shortbread Bars

                             1 cup butter, softened
                    1/2 cup sugar
                    2 1/2 cups flour
                    1 teaspoon vanilla
                    1/2-1 cup dried fruit or chocolate chips

        Cream butter and add sugar, beat well.... then add flour and vanilla and mix. Add fruit or chocolate. The texture will be slightly grainy... press into a greased 9" x 13" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut bars.  That's it... you can let them cool.... or eat hot... they are great both ways. :) 
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 As I said, these have dried blueberries in them and they are wonderful.... other variations I have done with this recipe is to put maple flavoring in place of the vanilla and add some nuts.... Mmmm good. :)  There are lots of possibilities.

One nice thing about these is that there is only 1/2 cup of sugar in the whole pan, so I don't mind giving them to the kids as much as sugary cookies(although we like those too!)

























Shared on:




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48 comments:

  1. I didn't realize it was so easy to make shortbread! Thanks for sharing this recipe! :)

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    1. I don't think all shortbread is easy, but this one sure is. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  2. That looks yummy! I love some type of bread, muffin or cookie with my coffee as breakfast.. Looks like a simple recipe and not to fattening... thanks for sharing! I love blueberries too.. Blessings!

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    1. Thank you... they are good.... and they would taste just as good w/ coffee as w/ tea. :) Thank you for stopping by.

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  3. Thank you for sharing your recipe. It sounds easy enough for even me to try. It looks so yummy, that I simply had to pin it to my Tea Cup Tuesday Pinterest Board, linking directly to your blog post. It was is so nice sharing Tea Cup Tuesday with you. My blog is marywaldsvintageplace.blogspot.com stop by for tea cup fun, and say "hi".

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    1. It is easy... and so yummy.... I hope you do try it. :) Thank you for pinning this... and for visiting. :)

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  4. Love that you shared the recipe. It looks so good. The tea set looks so beautiful. Love the post. Blessings, Martha

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    1. It is fun to pull out the pretty china items to brighten up the day. :) We need to do it more often. Thank you for visiting.

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  5. Oh, these look wonderful and so easy to make. I much more prefer a shortbread base for cheesecake rather than graham wafer crumbs. I have saved your recipe and thanks so much for sharing it with us at Tea Time Tuesday. Your china is lovely too. Have a beautiful day.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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    1. One of my sons has a birthday tomorrow and he wants chocolate cheesecake, so we will be making this shortbread base... it is so delicious and I agree shortbread is much better for the crust than graham crackers crumbs. Thank you for visiting. :)

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  6. Really a wonderful and simple recipe that looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe and for linking to Tuesday Cuppa Tea!
    Ruth

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    1. It is a great recipe.... Thank you for stopping by and for the great link up. :)

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  7. This roses vignette of the coffee pot and cups and saucers is lovely. Your coffee pot appears to be made by Rosenthal! The shortbread recipe looks delicious.

    Thanks,
    Pam

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    1. I enjoy the beautiful china... and the shortbread is delightful. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  8. The shortbread looks delicious, and what a beautiful tea set! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thank you.... it is really tasty and we sure enjoy the tea set... thank you for visiting. :)

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  9. This sounds like a lovely recipe. I've recently started having Friday afternoon tea with my daughters when we finish our lessons, so I'll be adding this to our treat list soon. Thanks for sharing, and your tea set is lovely!

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    1. I hope you enjoy it.. we sure do and a batch of shortbread doesn't last long at all around here! :) Thank you for visiting...

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  10. Shortbread *may* be my favorite treat, so this looks wonderful! Please tell your daughter she is doing a great job! :) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us at Treasure Box Tuesday- pinned!

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    1. It is delicious.... a year ago or so, my daughter wanted to learn to make shortbread and it has become her "job" now! She is good at it. :) Thank you for visiting and for the link up and pin. :)

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  11. Thank you, I never made shortbread but I now will try it one day.

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    1. I hadn't either, but this one was easy even for not knowing anything about how to do it. :)

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  12. Thank you! I plan to make these for our Sunday School class in 2 weeks.

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    1. They are great for groups... or home snacks. :)

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  13. Your simple shortbread bars is a recipe I'll keep! With your pretty teascape ... everything looks wonderful! Happy Tea Day~

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    1. It is a good recipe and we have made it many dozens of times and love it. :) Thank you for you sweet comment. :)

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  14. Lovely coffee pot and shortbread bars. A lovely recipe!

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  15. These look SO good! I can't wait to try them with my kids. Thanks for linking up with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday." I hope you can join us again this week. http://our4kiddos.blogspot.com/2014/09/try-new-recipe-tuesday-92.html

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    1. They really are a pleasing recipe... I like it for my kids because it doesn't have as much sugar as regular goodies. :)

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  16. Your shortbread looks delicious! So glad you shared your post on the HomeAcre Hop, hope to see you again tomorrow! - Nancy The Home Acre Hop

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    1. They are... and so easy to make... they sure work well as a cheesecake crust also. :)

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  17. Love the tea set. Thanks for linking up. I’ve pinned your recipe to the Creative K Kids Tasty Tuesday pinterest board.

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    1. It is a beautiful set.... thank you for pinning. :)

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  18. i luvvvvvv shortbread. Thanks for linking up to Pin Worthy Wednesdays, you post has been pinned to our Pinterest board

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    1. Shortbread is one of those special treats that I always thought was so difficult to make... I'm glad these aren't. Thank you for pinning. :)

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  19. Shortbread is so wonderful with a cup of tea! I have made it myself and love it. Your recipe looks great! Thanks for sharing and linking.

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    1. I agree- shortbread and tea is a good combination and there are so many variations to change it. Thank you for visiting and for your great blog party. :)

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  20. I love shortbread, and it's great that these are bars. Can't wait to make them! Thanks for sharing your recipe with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. I love shortbread cookies too, but with my big family, the bars are much more realistic.... and they still taste great. :)

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  21. Looks wonderful! I'm always ready for some good homemade shortbread and a cup of tea.

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  22. Shortbread and tea sounds wonderful. Your china is beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. It is wonderful together. Right now I am drinking a cup of tea, but we have no shortbread. Since it is a rainy cloudy day, shortbread would be wonderful, so we may have to make it today. :) We do enjoy that china also. Thank you for visiting.

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  23. There is nothing like a shortbread with a cup of tea. Your recipe with the dried fruit sounds delicious. Your photos are really good too. Well done to your daughter (cook).

    Kathleen
    Blogger's Pit Stop

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    1. Shortbread is something I have made often for my children as the sugar wasn't as high as other cookies and they loved them. So many variations can be made with this simple recipe. Thank you for the comment about the photos and my daughter's baking these... she does a good job with it. Thank you for visiting... good to hear from you. :)

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  24. I love shortbread and these are beautiful! Pinning!

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    1. Mmmmm... shortbread is good... I think we need to make some today!!! Thank you for visiting and for pinning. :)

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