Pillsbury Recommends:

Lime-Poppy Seed Shortbread

Prep 45 min
Total 1 hr 10 min
Ingredients 7
Servings 24

Treasure the moment by baking these traditional rich and tender shortbread cookies drizzled with candy coating – perfect dessert for New Year’s Eve gift.

By Pillsbury Kitchens

Updated December 9, 2010

Ingredients

1/2

cup powdered sugar
3/4

cup butter, softened
2

tablespoons poppy seed
2

tablespoons grated lime peel
1 1/2

cups all-purpose or unbleached flour
4

oz. vanilla-flavored candy coating or almond bark, cut into pieces
Green decorator sugar

Steps

1

Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, combine powdered sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add poppy seed and lime peel; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour; mix well.
2

Divide dough into 3 parts; shape each into ball. On ungreased cookie sheets, press or roll each ball of dough into a 5 1/2-inch round. With knife, cut each round into 8 wedges; leave wedges in place. Prick dough several times with fork.
3

Bake at 325°F. for 17 to 22 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets.
4

Place candy coating in microwave-safe bowl. Melt on HIGH for 1 minute or until coating can be stirred smooth. Drizzle cookies with coating; sprinkle with decorator sugar.
5

Cool 15 minutes or until completely cooled. Break or cut into wedges.

In Scotland, shortbread is a traditional New Year's Eve gift. Classic Scottish shortbread dough is fitted into decorative round molds before being baked and sliced into wedges. Shortbread are very rich and tender. Because of this, they are not the best cookie to send in the mail.
A rasp or micro-plane can be used to grate the lime zest for this recipe. Actually a woodworking tool, a rasp shaves zest with very little effort. Rasps are sold in cookware and woodworking stores.