Whole-Wheat Shortbread Cookies

Tonight! The gifted musician who is my fella is premiering a composition that he wrote for marimba, string quintet, and chorus. He has literally worked his fingers to their blistering bones to write this piece, which was inspired by the water-themed African folk songs that he and his classmates studied this semester. Joey was tapped by his school to be one of two student composers debuting original work at this evening's performance, and I'm bursting at the seams with excitement for him. In the past year, he has somehow managed to learn and excel at playing marimba (with four mallets!) and learned how to use composition software that makes everything sound like a video game, and which will undoubtedly translate into some seriously beautiful and bewitching music; his future is all kinds of bright and shiny.

After this composition endeavor, Joey heads to to Vermont with his band (link to old songs) for a year of intensive writing and recording, punctuated by extensive touring. Obviously I will be sending them baked goods all the while. These cookies—a solid airmail possibility—were recently featured on my all-time favorite food blog, and they are a total snap to make. While Lottie + Doof finished his with sugar alone, I thought the coffee-sugar combo nicely complemented the sturdy wheat flavor, and the cookies topped with cinnamon tasted just like buñuelos. Joey, I see you your bright future and raise you a buttery one!  

Whole-Wheat Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from Lottie + Doof

Makes about 70 one-inch cookies

Obviously this recipe calls for a scale, something that I highly recommend purchasing.  They save time, dishes, and ingredients—seriously one of the best $25 you can spend for your kitchen!

10.5 ounces all-purpose flour

5.5 ounces whole-wheat flour

4.75 ounces cornstarch

16 ounces high-fat butter (Plurga is recommended), at cool room temperature

4.75 ounces natural sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Superfine sugar, superfine coffee grinds, and ground cinnamon, for dusting

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2.  Combine the flours and cornstarch in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer (or KitchenAid with the paddle attachment) until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine, but be careful not to overmix. (I did the last bits of combining with cold hands and a rubber spatula since I’m paranoid about my oft overzealous electric mixer.)

3.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a quarter-inch thick and cut into desired shapes (Tim used a two-inch cutter; I used a one-inch inverted glass); you may reroll and cut scraps. Arrange one inch apart on cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until edges have browned. Let cool on sheets for two minutes, then dust with sugar or your desired sugar mix (ratios follow). Store in an airtight container once cookies are totally cool. They’ll last a couple of days!

For coffee topping:  Combine 1/4 cup of sugar with 1 scant tablespoon superfinely ground coffee, or to taste.

For cinnamon topping:  Combine 1/4 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste.

Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies and Radio CPR Record Sale

A little more than a year ago, I was lamenting the District (I was so misguided!) while proffering the Radio CPR Record Sale as a rare form of social recourse (I was so correct!), and this year the radical ladies (one in particular) who power the station were kind enough to let me contribute to the sale again.  Two veteran baked goods soldiers continued their history of wowing, but this year I also offered a new recipe of vegan granola bars with a plethora of nuts and sticky things keeping 'em together and some espresso chocolate shortbread cookies that are like a double shot of caffeine and awesome straight to your heart.

And really, the heart doctor business must be booming.  The past three weeks might have limped along on the chronicling front here, but there's butter/batter a'beating in my kitchen nearly every day. In spite of jam-packed days and a few spectacular failures, I've emerged from my sweltering kitchen armed with a handful of buttery, awesome recipes to share.  These espresso chocolate shortbread cookies are numero uno, and if you live and die for butter and coffee (me too!), you very much must make them. 

Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan who says they make 32, but my method (madness?) made only 18

1 tablespoon instant espresso power

1 tablespoon boiling water

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup powdered sugar

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I guesstimated from a Ghiradelli bag and probably used closer to 5 ounces), finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt (Kari addition)

Additional powdered sugar for dusting, if you like

1.  Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water and set aside to cool to room temperature. 

2.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar together on medium high for about three minutes, until very smooth and somewhat pale. Beat in the vanilla and espresso, then reduce the speed to low and add the flour and salt, mixing only just until the flour disappears into the dough. Do not overwork the mixture. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a rubber spatula.

3.  Scoop the dough into a gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 9" x 10 1/2" rectangle that's 1/4" thick -- your rectangle should take up about half the bag.  Make sure the dough has even thickness throughout, seal, and the pop it flat into the fridge for at least two hours and up to two days.

4.  Position the racks to divide the oven in thirds and preheat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge, cut the plastic bag away, and, using a ruler to guide you, slice the dough in 1 1/2" squares. Space the cookie squares one inch apart on the sheets, and then make two sets of fork marks in each cookie, gently pressing the tines all the way through the dough until they hit they sheet.  Careful not to crumble the cookies when you do this step.

5.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating pans and switching from top to bottom halfway through. The cookies will not take on much color.  Remove from cookie sheets once you pull them from the oven, and allow to cool completely on racks. Dust with powdered sugar if you like. The cookies seem to get better with a day of rest, stored in an airtight container.