I made this shortbread for our picnic last weekend, and I was really pleased with the results. The coffee-hazelnut combination has a sophisticated, slight bitterness, and they’re also not too sweet, which adds to the “grown-up” feeling. I think they would work well for upcoming holiday gatherings (maybe with Port or dessert wine if you drink), or as a slightly sandy nibble with the afternoon espresso.
The recipe also halves quite nicely, which I find very encouraging. Don’t you also sometimes have that urge to bake but aren’t keen to deplete all the butter and eggs in the house in one night? This is why I have a special love for recipes that call for no eggs (have you ever tried to measure half an egg?) or strange amounts of ingredients. Well, of course shortbread recipes don’t use any eggs at all, butter is easy to divide, and the amounts for this are perfectly reasonable, whether you make half a recipe or whole.
I couldn’t let these get away without a nice drizzle of bittersweet chocolate, but it’s not necessary if you’re in a rush. Also, as much as I love hazelnuts, I think we can all agree that skinning them can be a hearty pain in the rear, so feel free to substitute other nuts if you aren’t up for the task (toasted almonds are excellent).
Hazelnut-Espresso Shortbread
Adapted from Epicurious
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and coarsely chopped
3-4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend flour, brown sugar, cornstarch, espresso powder and salt in a food processor. Add butter and vanilla. Pulse on and off until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add nuts and blend until finely chopped. Transfer dough to a work surface and knead gently until dough just comes together.
Divide dough in half and press each half into a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Cool on rack for 5 minutes, then remove side of pan and cut into wedges.
To drizzle chocolate, melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, stirring at intervals until smooth. Spoon smooth chocolate into a plastic baggie and cut a tiny bit out of the corner. Pipe chocolate over shortbread in desired pattern. Cool completely on rack. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week, or they can be frozen up to a month.
