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Shortbread has never tasted
quite so luxurious! Enjoy a piece with your favorite hot beverage.
Brown
Butter Hazelnut Shortbread With Fleur De Sel
- 1 cup unsalted butter
(2 sticks), softened but still cool - divided use
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch - divided use
1 large egg, separated
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
-
- Topping:
1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 ounces) chopped hazelnuts
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 heaping teaspoon coarse fleur de sel or sea salt*
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate**
- Place 1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons)
in small saucepan over moderate heat. Melt and cook until butter
stops foaming, smells toasty and begins to brown, about 10 minutes.
The browner the butter, the deeper the flavor, but don’t
let it blacken or burn. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Place the remaining butter (12 tablespoons)
in a bowl. Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, beat until
creamy. Add the sugars and salt and continue to beat until light
and fluffy. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and cooled browned butter.
Mix to combine. Then add flour, 1 cup at a time, and stir with
a wooden spoon to combine. Chill the batter for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC)
with oven rack in the middle. Butter a 10x15-inch jelly roll
pan.
- Divide dough into 8 rough portions and
arrange them evenly in the pan. Press dough into an even layer
to fill the pan.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg white with
a pinch of salt. Brush mixture evenly over the dough. Sprinkle
hazelnuts over the top; press down lightly. In another small
bowl, combine 2 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon and nutmeg
and sprinkle over nuts. Sprinkle sea salt over the top.
- Bake, rotating the pan once halfway through
baking, until golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes. Let cool
for 10 minutes and cut into 1 to 2-inch squares or diamonds.
Transfer to a cooling rack.
- Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl set
over a pan of simmering water. Using a very small tipped pastry
bag or the tines of a fork, drizzle the chocolate over the tops
of the shortbreads.
Makes about 3 to 4 dozen.
*Look for coarse fleur
de sel at specialty food markets or for sea salt at most supermarkets.
**For the best chocolate flavor, look for bittersweet chocolate
with a minimum of 60 percent cocoa solids
Recipe and photograph provided courtesy
of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.
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