In the Chi Wulff family, portability is key, as everyone likes to get up and go when the opportunity presents itself.
Go where, you might ask?
The Park (aka Yellowstone), the Laguna Madre, the Tetons, Mobile Bay, the Uinta range, Puget Sound, the Snake river, the Virgin river, the Gallatin river, the Flathead river, the Yellowstone river, the Olympic Peninsula, the Green river…well, you get the point. Grab your sweetie and get out there.
Valentine’s Day, being a holiday like any other, presents a great chance to go celebrate while doing something fun outside. In a romantic atmosphere unequalled by any mere restaurant. And this recipe is a proven winner for a Valentine’s Day on the go…easy to take along and very, very tasty.
We love the southwestern flair in these cookies…the pine nuts add body and rich flavor to an excellent shortbread, and the chocolate (de rigueur for Valentine’s Day) can be dipped into, poured over, painted on or drizzled. For a nice balance, serve these beside some fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream…..your Valentine will love it!
1/2 lb. softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted, crushed and ground
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt6 ounces chocolate (pick your favorite)
Splash of cream
Preheat the oven to 325.
Cream the butter in your handy mixer for 2 minutes or so; beat in the brown sugar till smooth.
Combine the flour, pine nuts and salt; mix well. Slowly add to the butter mixture with the mixture on low speed; a soft and fairly dry dough will form.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface until 1/2 inch thick; again it’s a dry dough and you may need to turn and massage this a bit. Cut into 2 inch rounds or shapes and place on ungreased parchment.
Bake for 18-22 minutes until the edges are just brown; let cool before removing and dipping.
Meanwhile, chop the chocolate into small pieces if not using chips; melt over low heat with a splash of cream. Dip the cooled cookies so that half the cookie is covered in chocolate. Cool again to let the chocolate set.
Enjoy.
