Austrian Raspberry Shortbread

Ok, so first. I sprained my ankle. Again. Re-injury. SO ANNOYING. Medical blog.

Second, these are amazing. My sister made these once. I think? Something like these. And I decided I love shortbread. Then, I forgot. Then, when I took my exam last week, I was trying to find some cookies and bars to bring to my presentation (required tradition). I wanted to make something good, play to my strengths, type thing. I found these on smitten kitchen and remembered that my sister made a version of these. So, I planned to make them for my exam. Guess what? Didn't have time. At all. Because I was kind of busy with the exam prep.

Luckily, my sis-in-law was visiting for pre-wedding showering and brunching. I had little brunch for her and her besties. So, I got to make these for dessert!

I love mini desserts. Little bites. The only tip I have for these, is that you want to buy some jam that you really like. I was having some minor issues with the jam quality I chose. Next time, I will probably make my own fruit filling or buy some homemade good stuff.

Austrian Raspberry Shortbread

from smitten kitchen

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

4 egg yolks

2 cups granulated sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional additions: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 cup raspberry jam, at room temperature

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Cream the butter in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) until soft and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and mix well.

Mix the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to the butter and egg yolk mixture and mix just until incorporated and the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and form into two balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight (or as long as a month, if you like).

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove one ball of dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it by hand or with the grating disk in a food processor into the bottom of a 9°—13-inch baking pan or a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Make sure the surface is covered evenly with shreds of dough.

With a piping bag with a wide tip or a zip-lock bag with the corner cut off, squeeze the jam over the surface as evenly as possible, to within 1/2 inch of the edge all the way around. Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it over the entire surface.

Bake until lightly golden brown and the center no longer wiggles, 50 to 60 minutes. As soon as the shortbread comes out of the oven, dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Cool on a wire rack, then cut in the pan with a serrated knife. I find that for this an all bar cookies, chilling the pan in the fridge makes it a lot easier to get clean cuts.

(Servings: lots, Prep time: 3 hrs, Cook time: 1 hr., Difficulty: Intermediate)

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