We have been eating fresh fruit like crazy, I am sure you have too. There are an abundance of perfectly ripe stone fruit, peaches, plums and apricots that are grown locally. We love to slice them thin, mixed with a bit of homemade jam amd served atop (or underneath) a buttery cookie. These shortbreads are easy to whip together (after making it the second time I had the recipe memorized) and they pair well with any fruit, or with your after dinner coffee or tea.
They are made with graham flour, so they have more of a crunch than regular shortbread. They also have a small chew, almost like bits of toffee. They are best after a few minutes of cooling, so there is a balance of crunch and chew, after they have cooled completely the chew is less noticeable. They will be delicate and crumbly; store in an airtight container.
graham shortbread
adapted from le cordon bleu cookbook
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup graham flour
1/3 cup tapioca, rice, or fine semolina flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup super fine sugar
raw sugar, to dust
Combine and sift the flours twice, set aside. With a wooden spoon, beat the butter until smooth. Add sugar and mix thoroughly.
Add flours and mix with a fork until the flour is well incorporated, the dough should be crumbly. Press the dough into an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with a spatula, then with your hand inside a plastic baggy, gently press until smooth. Pierce the surface evenly with a fork, sprinkle a few pinches of sugar on top, then set in refrigerator for at least ten minutes.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden.
Remove from oven and slice into wedges. Leave the shortbreads together until ready to serve so they don’t dry out.
notes:
- I make this with a vegan butter, earth balance, and it works beautifully however it ends up a soupy mess when I use coconut oil.
- superfine sugar isn’t really necessary, but do not substitute with raw or sucanut.
- you could bake these in a tart pan with a removable bottom, giving them dainty scalloped edges, or in a square springform pan, then cut them into long biscuits.
- you can use only all purpose flour for this although the texture will be different, less crunchy.
- different flours will result in different textures, try varied types in place of the tapioca flour.
a few things that would be lovely with these shortbreads:
grilled strawberries with pimm’s and vanilla ice cream
