Thanks. I fell asleep right after I posted this so I will rush it out this morning. I will try your dough Lou, I want to make pull aparts so I'm sure I can just put the topping at the bottom of my pan? Anyways, Linda, I don't usually put in too warm of water so I am wondering if there is defect with my breadmaker now? I do find when I do dough a lot of times in has a crust on on it. I guess it's possible it is just getting too hot and cooking the dough/yeast instead of proofing it? Grr, I have no receipt as it is about two years old now. My old lasted my about five years and I used it all the time. This one - I'm disappointed and I probably should have returned it the first time I tried making dough. I always figured it was me though.

What a pain in the patootie!!! I added about 1/3 cup flour total and it never firmed up in the fridge, so I put it in the freezer. I'd reach in and grab a handful and work as fast as I could before the dough started to "melt" and stick to my counter. Used lots of flour for rolling too. There are many that don't look much like hearts, but they baked up nice. DH says they taste good...I can't try any until tomorrow because I'm low carbing and tomorrow is a planned carb day(then back on plan). If DS, DIL and kids could stay all day I would have the kids ice and decorate them, but they'll only be here a short time so they can get on the road before dark(they're 90 minutes away in the Twin Cities). So, as soon as they finish cooling I'll throw some pink icing on them and call it good(well, maybe some chocolate icing too). I think I need a different cookie recipe...I don't want to fight with this stuff again! Thanks for the help, Ladies!

I always form my dough first, before freezing. If you do it the other way, I hope you come back and tell us how it works out!

Shortbread is one of my favorite cookies to make and one of the most popular that I gift friends with. Rich, but not overly sweet, and as long as you keep them in a cool place (so the butter doesn't turn), they can stay good for weeks and weeks. I use the recipe from the Fannie Farmer baking book and my food processor. 2 sticks butter (1 cup) 2/3 c powdered sugar 1 t vanilla 2 c flour 1/4 t salt Process the butter, sugar and vanilla until it's smooth and then add the flour and salt. Process again until mixed. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch, and then cut into whatever shapes you favor. Place the cookies an inch apart on ungreased (yay!) cookie sheets and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. You want them to barely color around the edges, not go brown at all. Cool them on a rack. Now, for my additions/alterations to the recipe... I like to brush the cookies with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven...heck, I'm eating shortbread anyway, and that extra splash of butter flavor is so wickedly good. Also, I get creative with my shortbread. It's a wonderfully flexible cookie, a good base for all kinds of flavorful additions. I toast pecans, process them into crumbs and knead them into the dough. Grate Meyer lemon zest into the dough, and add some juice to the melted butter wash. Crushed candy canes are a fun Christmas time addition (be judicious with these, as too much can make the cookies stick to the sheet). A good quality cocoa powder makes for chocolate shortbread. Finely minced dried fruits (cranberry or apricot are my favorites). Toasted coconut...put some of the sweetened coconut you get in the baking section of the grocery store into a heavy fry pan over a med-high heat and stir it 'round until it starts browning and the aroma rises wonderfully. Then mince it and work it into the dough. Gosh, I haven't made shortbread cookies for a while, and have been wondering what to make as little gifts for my clients...I think I've just decided!