Star & Stripes Mascarpone Shortbread
Crunchy shortbread w/light mascarpone frosting and ripe summer berries. Festive & fun! Perfect for 4th of July, Labor Day & Memorial Day.
Servings 16 bars
Ingredients
- Shortbread:
- 2 cups butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 cups flour
- Berries:
- 1 quart strawberries washed
- 1 pint blueberries washed
- Mascarpone frosting:
- 8 ounces mascarpone
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- optional: 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin dissolved in a couple teaspoons cold water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Beat butter until creamy.
- Gradually add 1 cup sugar 'til mixtures is smooth.
- Add in flour.
- Press dough with floured hands into parchment lined 12" X 16" cookie sheet.
- (Parchment makes it easy to lift the shortbread out of the pan after baking for easier, precise cutting.)
- Bake at 375° for 18 minutes or 'til golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool for ten minutes.
- While still warm, carefully lift shortbread out of the pan with the parchment paper and place on a large cutting board.
- Cut into 2 1/2 " by 4" rectangles while warm.
- When cool, frost with Mascarpone Frosting.
- Mascarpone Frosting:
- Place mascarpone, vanilla, sugar and whipping cream together in a mixing bowl.
- Optional: dissolve 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin in a couple teaspoons cold water.
- Whisk water and gelatin together and let "bloom" a minute or two.
- Add this gelatin mixture in with the other frosting ingredients.
- (Unflavored gelatin helps the light frosting hold up in the heat.)
- Beat all together just until soft peaks form.
- (Be careful not to overbeat or it will quickly turn into butter!)
- Decorate with blueberries for stars and strawberry slices for stripes.
- (I cut the strawberries in half first, then cut those into thin slices, and trim down.)
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.
Notes
You'll have leftover shortbread strips after cutting into 16, 2 1/2 " by 4 " bars. (Lucky you!)