Sunday, July 13, 2008

Shortbread Cookies Two Ways (TWD Rewind)

Recently, I've been churning a lot of homemade ice cream. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating ice cream by itself (best standing at the frig, straight out of the carton at 11pm), I always enjoy ice cream with a little crunchy something on the side. Whether it be candied peanuts, granola, or a cookie, I need that texural contrast.

As I was reviewing all the TWD recipes that I missed, this delicious looking Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread recipe caught my eye. As Dorie Greenspan suggested that these cookies are a "good go-along for ice cream", I had to give them a try.

Shortbread is a great recipe get creative with. It is an extremely forgiving dough (as long as you don't overmix), and it's a great base to build on. You can experiment with a wide range of sweet and savory variations. With that in mind, I decided to try a chocolate pistachio version, based on what I had at home. If you are compelled to make these delicious brown sugar- pecan versions, click here to for the Tuesdays With Dorie blogroll to do a search, and you should be able to located a previously posted recipe.
Oh, and before I forget, I think this chocolate pistachio version turned out pretty respectable for a first try! They are not very sweet, and the chocolate pistachio flavor combination is terrific. Texurally, they are crumbly and crunchy, just as a shortbread should be. Scroll to the bottom of this post for my recipe.The best thing about these delicious buttery dreams? They're bite sized! :)

Chocolate Pistachio Shortbread

Ingredients
1 1/4 C AP flour
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Scharffenberger)
1/4 C cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cinnamon
8 oz unsalted butter at room temp
1/4 C lt brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C finely ground pistachios

Instructions
- sift together the dry ingredients
- beat butter and sugars together in a stand mixer until mixture is very smooth ( about 3 minutes)
- reduce mixer to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough (do not overmix)
- add pistachios and mix only until incorporated
- transfer mixture to a gallon sized ziploc bag. put bag on a flat surface, leaving top open, and roll the dough into a 9" x 10 1/2" rectangle that is 1/4" thick.
- refrigerate for at least 2 hours (i would recommend freezing as well)
- preheat oven to 350 degrees F. line two baking sheets with silpat/parchment
- cut dough into 1" squares, and transfer to baking sheets. prick each square twice with a fork
- bake for 18-20 minutes. cool cookies on a rack.




9 comments:

Jules Someone said...

Those look gorgeous! I could not get the brown sugar pecan shortbread to work. Maybe a little thicker and a lot colder.

PheMom said...

Both of your versions sound wonderful!

Anonymous said...

yum, these look like they'd be perfect with ice cream. chocolate pistachio is a great combination. nice job!

Anonymous said...

These look mouth watering. I missed these, too, on TWD, and I've been meaning to try them. The fact that you mentioned "ice cream" makes it more likely that I'll do so in the near future!

Pamela said...

I haven't tried the shortbread recipe yet, either. The brown sugar pecan one sounds like it's right up my alley.

Steph said...

Those look amazing! I wish my cookies kept their shape.. they just kept melting.

My Sweet & Saucy said...

Love the flavors for these cookies!

Bungalow Barbara said...

Lovely, lovely pictures!

I LOVE shortbread. Must try these sometime.

Alexa said...

Chocolate and pistachios... I am sold. Lovely blog.

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