Perfecting the shortbread
Who doesn't love a good shortbread cookie? The buttery and dense kind that isn't dry but is simple yet satisfying. Think Walker's or, to be gourmet, the chocolate-dipped ones my family sometimes sends me from Hawaii. So yum.
But good shortbread can be expensive, and I like to copy in the kitchen what can easily be bought, so I started making my own shortbread.
However, it's not perfect yet! The presentation still needs work, but texture and taste have improved from when I started making these.
When I first tried out a recipe, I was going by a friend's list of scrawled out ingredients with vague instructions: One of those recipes someone else knows by heart and tries to articulate but fails to ... I get it. Results on my end, not surprisingly, were inconsistent and clumpy at best! Another time I attempted to make lemon lavender shortbread with lemon zest but overreached by much: Cookies looked good but tasted overwhelmingly of lemon.
So I took a few steps back and simplified things, and found Ms. Erin C's highly-rated recipe from GeniusKitchen using only a few ingredients: butter, flour, sugar, and vanilla extract. The few ingredients ensure simplicity in execution and a focus on using quality sources.
Recipe: Erin's Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies
I find that blending in a food processor significantly affects the texture of the dough. There is no need to use a pastry cutter, and there are no clumps or unbroken-down parts! Also, for my version of this recipe, I utilized 00 flour from Italy, which just means it's a very fine flour, great for making pasta or pastries. I highly recommend this flour if you want a delicate finish for your baked goods.
But good shortbread can be expensive, and I like to copy in the kitchen what can easily be bought, so I started making my own shortbread.
However, it's not perfect yet! The presentation still needs work, but texture and taste have improved from when I started making these.
When I first tried out a recipe, I was going by a friend's list of scrawled out ingredients with vague instructions: One of those recipes someone else knows by heart and tries to articulate but fails to ... I get it. Results on my end, not surprisingly, were inconsistent and clumpy at best! Another time I attempted to make lemon lavender shortbread with lemon zest but overreached by much: Cookies looked good but tasted overwhelmingly of lemon.
So I took a few steps back and simplified things, and found Ms. Erin C's highly-rated recipe from GeniusKitchen using only a few ingredients: butter, flour, sugar, and vanilla extract. The few ingredients ensure simplicity in execution and a focus on using quality sources.
Recipe: Erin's Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies
I find that blending in a food processor significantly affects the texture of the dough. There is no need to use a pastry cutter, and there are no clumps or unbroken-down parts! Also, for my version of this recipe, I utilized 00 flour from Italy, which just means it's a very fine flour, great for making pasta or pastries. I highly recommend this flour if you want a delicate finish for your baked goods.
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| Top: Dusted in cardamom and sugar; bottom: sugar-dusted, basted with 70% cacao dark chocolate |
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