Friday, February 26, 2016

Almond Shortbread

Adapted from Favorite Irish Teatime Recipes

I promised you another cookie recipe, so here it is. Well, it’s not exactly a cookie, it’s a shortbread. They’re pretty easy to make, and not too sweet. This one’s a little different because it has a sort of meringue frosting on top, plus sliced almonds, which gives a nice crunch.



A note: a lot of recipes call for “rubbing in the butter” by hand. I often cheat and use a food processor, because (a) it’s faster, and (b) the butter is distributed more evenly. If you’re a traditional baker, go ahead and get your hands into the mixture. The result tastes good either way.


Almond Shortbread
Ingredients:

5 oz./1 cup flour
1 heaping Tblsp ground rice (you could grind your own, 
   but I happened to have some rice flour on hand)
2 heaping Tblsp sugar
4 oz. (one-half stick) butter, at room temperature
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 egg white
4 oz./1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 oz. sliced almonds



Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (yes, that's low). Grease a 7” round pan.



In a bowl, mix the flour, ground rice and sugar, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (or use a food processor for the whole thing here).



Add the egg yolks and mix to form a stiff dough. Knead until smooth, then roll out on a lightly floured surface until it will fit into the pan. Press in until flat, then prick with a fork. 



Cover the dough with a piece of foil and bake for 25-30 minutes.

I had to include this--it's my antique sifter
Whisk the egg white until it forms soft peaks, the sift the confectioner’s sugar and fold it in.



Remove the pan from the oven, take off the foil, and spread the icing mixture over the top. Sprinkle with the almonds, then return to the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes.

After the first baking

After the second baking
Cool the shortbread in the pan, then cut into wedges when it is cool.

Done!


A Turn for the Bad (County Cork Mystery #4) is a Barnes and Noble mass market bestseller for three weeks in a row! You can order it at Barnes and Noble and Amazon, or look for it in your local bookstores.

www.sheilaconnolly.com

7 comments:

  1. The Almond Shortbread looks so yummy! Thank you for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like some right now with a cup of English Breakfast tea. Or Darjeeling tea.
    I'm intrigued by the two step baking. I'll have to bake it and see it first hand.
    Congratulations on the book's success!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought that was interesting too. It may be that the slow oven is necessary for the meringue topping (which with the almonds makes a nice combination of textures), so you have to partially cook the shortbread part first.

      Delete
  3. These butter intensive doughs are so easy with a food processor. I often think about how hard it must have been before they were invented.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love these newfangled contraptions! (Oh, right, it's not exactly new any more--it was a wedding gift.) Another issue is that if you use your hands to mix the dough, and you have warm hands, the butter melts slightly and changes the final texture.

      Delete
  4. My husband adores shortbread. I will have to make this for him!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is an interesting recipe. I need to try it sometime.

    ReplyDelete