on Sep 17th, 2007Cinnamon shortbread
When chilly weather arrives, as it has in The Little Snowball, my thoughts turn to hot tea or coffee and the flavors of autumn. Tea and shortbread are linked in my mind, so when I found a recipe for cinnamon shortbread bars in my inbox I moved it to the top of the “to try” list. Having tried them, they’re keepers; they’re slightly crumbly as they should be and meltingly tender but not terribly thick or sweet.
The recipe is from Land o’ Lakes but I’ve modified it, both in yield and directions. Their version yields 48 bars, which is just too much for a small household, and many people today are cooking for one or two. The original is here if you need the larger size, which requires more time in the oven.
This is a fast recipe; I spent more time patting the dough into place than I did mixing it. And with no eggs in the dough, it’s quite safe to eat raw. Cookie dough really belongs somewhere on the food pyramid, don’t you think?
Cinnamon Shortbread
3/4 cup / 93 g all-purpose flour
1/4 cup / 28 g cake (soft) flour
1/2 cup / 113 g unsalted butter, softened and cut into 8-10 pieces
3/8 cup / 45 g powdered (icing) sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Sugar
2 tsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon or more to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 C / gas mark 4) and spray an 8 x 8 inch pan.
Combine all the shortbread ingredients in a medium bowl and beat slowly with a mixer until the dough just comes together, about 4-6 minutes with a hand mixer or 2 1/2 - 3 minutes in a stand mixer, starting at Stir speed and moving to Speed 2 in a KitchenAid model. Do not overmix the dough.
Pat the dough in the pan as evenly as you can. Prick the surface with the tines of a fork and scatter the cinnamon sugar onto it.
Bake 20-25 minutes until golden and the edges are lightly browned. The center will be slightly soft to the touch. Let cool on a rack until just warm, about 15 minutes. Cut into bars and serve. [It’ll be sturdy enough at this point to invert the pan and cut them on a board. I’d store them in an airtight container. - ella]
Yield: 24 bars.
Now this looks easy and delicious and perfect for afternoons with one or two friends talking politics, art, or bemoaning those things that friends bemoan with each other.
Going straight to the list of things to try next time I have someone over.
Thanks so much for the modifications.
And because cookie dough does belong on food pyramid, I am waiting for guests to prepare.
I love shortbread.
And your recipe looks easy too. I also thank you for the modifications. We have a small household and if it’s cookies, I have a waste not, want not philosophy. I always end up polishing off almost all of them which isn’t a good thing. (My husband has resistance.)
@bbmaven - they are a snap. BTW, I know you prefer organics so if you use Gold Medal Organic flour here, you should be fine with using it for the entire 1 cup of flour. It’s almost as low in protein as cake flour and I like it a lot. (I think this dough would be a good mix-in when making ice cream. :))
@jolynna - Yep, the waste not, want not is what got me into a glitch with the honey cake even though I knew better. I’m glad the modifications are handy for both of you. I hope to do more small yield recipes in the future.
Hiya,
speak soon
like the look of this recipe! Thanks for the advice re the flour, I think I will try the recipe with 1 cup of all purpose as that is what I currently have on hand.
I just posted a recipe for plum and cinnamon pastry tart which turned out beautifully
PS how did you add those icons ie digg it to your blog?
Hi Erika - if you’re using regular all-purpose, do use the cake flour too unless you want really heavy shortbread. It’s only the Gold Medal Organic that’s soft.
I’m heading over to Sweet Pea to see your tart!
Love the sound of the shortbread…I am a great fan of the same! Lovely site…and to think this was one of the names I was contemplating for my blog! :0)