TWD/BWD: Tenderest Shortbread Four Ways

 

 

Dorie has the best shortbread recipes! I've made multiple batches from several of her cookbooks and they are definitely blue-ribbon worthy.

This particular recipe gives you a choice of four different flavor combinations:  original plain, whole wheat, rye-chocolate chip, and spelt-flaxseed.  I opted for the original plain as I was experimenting (like a mad scientist).  They did turn out tender and perfect.

My first experiment was in how I combined the ingredients.  I combined all the dry ingredients, then I mixed in the cold butter using the paddle attachment on my stand mixer until it looked like coarse sand.  Then, I added the wet ingredients (egg and vanilla).  So far, so good.

Before shaping the dough into a log, I put it in the refrigerator for about an hour so it would be easier to handle.  Then I shaped the dough into a 6-ish inch log, and put that back into the refrigerator for another hour.

Based on a technique that Dorie wrote about in one of her newsletters, I then cut the log into half-inch discs while the dough was firm, but still pliable, then put the discs into the freezer until I was ready to bake them.  This technique is good because the dough isn't so rock solid that you can't cut it into discs and the discs, themselves, don't crumble into pieces.

On baking day, I set the discs on a cookie sheet while the oven heated.  As per instructions, I rotated the pan halfway through the baking process.   

The end result was a tender, delicious shortbread cookie.  Next time, I'll try the rye-chocolate chip version using the same techniques.

Visit the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see what the other bakers shared this week.