Icebox Shortbread
Recipe from Baking in the Burg: I haven't tried this yet but it looks really good!
Recipe from Baking in the Burg: I haven't tried this yet but it looks really good!
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup butter unsalted; room temp.
- shortbread:
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled; more for rolling
- flavor options
- grated zest of 2 oranges+1/2 cup dried cranberries
- grated zest of 2 lemons; coat with poppy seeds
- grated zest of 2 lime; coat with cornmeal
- 1/2 cup dried apricots; coat with pistachios
- 1/4 cup candied ginger; coat with sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate or peanut butter chips
- Carbohydrate 11.4843463529338 g
- Cholesterol 13.5569444617186 mg
- Fat 5.18841039019578 g
- Fiber 0.186633165416299 g
- Protein 0.766874495927887 g
- Saturated Fat 3.25100300698817 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (20g)
- Sodium 36.5311947068899 mg
- Sugar 11.2977131875175 g
- Trans Fat 0.380383864278357 g
- Calories 95 calories
Step-by-step
- With an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. With mixer on low speed, add flour, mixing just until dough forms. Stir in desired mix-ins. (Flavors)
- Divide dough in half; place each half on a piece of floured waxed or parchment paper. With floured hands, gently roll each into a 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Dividing evenly, sprinkle logs with desired coating (topping for flavor picked earlier), if using, rolling log (to help coating adhere) and pressing in gently. Wrap logs tightly in the paper, and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (To store longer, wrap log and paper tightly with plastic wrap.)
- Preheat oven to '350 degrees'. Unwrap logs; with a serrated knife, slice dough 3/8-inch thick (if dough crumbles, leave at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes). Arrange slices, about 1 inch apart, on baking sheets.
- Bake until golden around edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Working the flour too aggressively is the mistake most people make when mixing shortbread dough, resulting in tough biscuits rather than tender, sandy rounds. When incorporating the two cups of all-purpose flour, keep the electric mixer on low speed and stop the moment the dough comes together. Overworking develops gluten strands that shortbread simply cannot tolerate. Chilling the formed logs for precisely one to one and a half hours firms the butter enough to hold a clean shape during slicing.
Pairing for Balance
Because shortbread contains a high proportion of unsalted butter and confectioners sugar, the rich, dense crumb requires acidic or bitter beverages to cut through the fat. Strong black coffee, Earl Grey tea with its bergamot oils, or an unsweetened herbal infusion provides the necessary contrast to the richness of the butter. If serving these cookies as part of an afternoon spread, pair them with sharp fruit curds or fresh berries tossed in lemon juice. The tartness balances the high fat content of the pastry without overwhelming the subtle vanilla undertones.
- Wrap dough logs tightly in plastic wrap over the parchment paper to store them in the freezer for up to one month.
- Allow crumbly logs to rest at room temperature for five to ten minutes before slicing to prevent cracking.
- Bake the three-eighths-inch slices on parchment-lined sheets until the edges turn pale golden, roughly fifteen to twenty minutes at 350 degrees.
