So this isn’t going to be a regular blog post. I have no recipe to share, only a set of screamingly happy tastebuds prompting me to write this 🙂
So THIS cookie:
…so good!!
Shortbread with chocolate, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and a hint of cinnamon.
I am now on the hunt for a recipe as my grandmothers shortbread recipe creates cookies that I feel are too flaky to handle the addition of seeds.
Anyone have a recipe out there??
So I made a second batch of shortbread cookies and changed a few things around to see if I could make the cookies light and flaky as my grandmother used to do.
I shortened the baking time by almost half, hoping that would keep them from being as hard as the first batch.
Unfortunately, although I changed the baking time, I ended up having to slightly microwave my butter as it was too hard to work with and the middle liquified, which I didn’t realize until I added it to the dough. I’m thinking that may have de-flaked my cookies as it seems to me that cutting in the butter is quite important for that layered light and flaky pastry texture.
I also had a friend of mine suggest using a different flour rather than all-purpose, which is what I have been using. He suggested bread flour and I am now wondering if pastry flour would make a difference? Any thoughts from my more experienced readers?
For the story behind my first attempt and to see the recipe I used, please check out my initial shortbread post “Nana’s Perfect Shortbread…Well…Almost”
I made my grandmother’s shortbread cookies this past weekend. I have very vivid and fond memories of her cookies…their taste, how light and flaky they were, how she *always* seemed to have some nearby. To a child, that right there was Grandmother Magic!
Light and flaky. Buttery. Somehow, food is always ten times better coming from your grandmother.
Nana has since passed away, but I have had a copy of her shortbread recipe for awhile now, just waiting for the perfect day to be brought out of the dark crevices of my recipe box. That day came upon me this past weekend.
What I love about Nana’s recipe is that it is extremely straightforward and simple: flour, butter, salt, brown sugar and vanilla…to see the detailed recipe, visit my twin blog: Recipes from Edible Noir
I figured it would be quite easy and I wasn’t wrong. I *did* make one mistake though, but I’ll share that towards the end of this post.
So…I gathered my ingredients:
Began by mixing the dry ingredients…salt, flour, and brown sugar. I used a fork to mix, doing my best to break up clumps of brown sugar.
This is where I ask my readers a question: How do you mix in brown sugar to dry ingredients? Or do you? Is it preferable to mix it with wet ingredients first, due to moisture content? With this recipe, the only wet ingredients were the butter and vanilla. The butter I attempted to cut in rather than cream or stir in so I don’t know whether mixing the butter and sugar together first would have been the best choice. Thoughts?
After the dry ingredients were thoroughly mixed, I added the butter and vanilla. The butter was room temperature and I initially began to cut it in with a large fork. That didn’t last long and I eventually used my hands instead which resulted in a somewhat crumbly (and awesome smelling) dough:
I rolled the dough into a ball and chilled it in the fridge for half an hour. At that point, I turned on the oven and pulled out my only two cookie cutters: a heart and a star. (Note to Self: Buy more interesting cookie cutters!)
I decided to use wax paper to roll out the dough as I felt as though additional flour would detract from the yummy, buttery taste. From what I read online about shortbread prior to attempting this recipe, the cracked edges are a desired trait of shortbread dough.:
I attacked the dough with my two little cookie cutters and found that I had enough cookies for a good sized tray.
One thing I noticed about my ready-to-bake cookies is the sort of layered effect observed in the shortbread. You can see it in the following picture. My grandmother’s cookies always had a flaky consistency. You could see the layers and feel them on your tongue. I was quite excited to see the layers in my cookies….It let me know I was doing something right!
Here is where I admit my mistake. I cooked them at 350 for 20 minutes. Way too long. I allowed them to brown and on re-examining the recipe, as well as doing more online reading, I found that they should have been removed from the oven *just* before they browned.
They are still absolutely delicious…just a tad harder than the cookies I ate as a child. Not a complete “Edible Failure” but not perfect.
Ah well, a minor error.
Now that I know to reduce the cooking time, I will be sure to add a picture of the perfect second batch once they are done!
Edible Noir 