Shortbreads wCranberry & White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies Recipe With Picture

Shortbreads have a wonderfully rich and buttery flavor and for this recipe I have added dried cranberries and white chocolate to give them a festive look for the holiday season. This cookie has a wonderful sandy texture which comes from adding both cornmeal and a little rice flour to the batter. Cornmeal is dried corn kernels that have been ground and comes in yellow, white or blue, depending on the type of corn used.

For this recipe we are using yellow cornmeal and I like to use one that is finely ground. The other ingredient in this shortbread recipe that you may not be familiar with is rice flour. Rice flour is a fine gluten-free flour produced from white or brown rice. If possible, I like to use brown rice flour. It can be found in some grocery stores or else health food stores or it can be ordered online at Amazon.com. If you cannot find it just substitute regular cornstarch (corn flour) for the rice flour. Also, try to use a good quality unsalted butter and pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla extract. The imitation vanilla extracts are made with synthetic vanilla (from glycoside found in the sapwood of certain conifers or from coal extracts) and leave a bitter after taste. Products labeled 'Vanilla Flavoring' are a combination of pure vanilla extract and imitation vanilla extract.

Shortbread needs to be baked in a slow oven (around 300 degrees F) (150 degrees C) and the top of the shortbread is pierced with a fork so it bakes evenly and you do not get air bubbles forming on the baked surface. Even with piercing the surface of the shortbread, you may still get some wrinkling but this is normal.

Lastly, a little trivia. Since the shortbread is baked in a tart pan, inside of individual cookies, we cut it into wedges which are called "petticoat tails". This name was derived because the shape of the shortbread wedges was similar to the bell-hoop petticoats worn by court ladies in the 12th century.

Shortbread: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 8 inch (20 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl whisk together the all purpose flour, cornmeal, rice flour, and salt. Add this mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat just until incorporated. Fold in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Press the shortbread dough evenly into the tart pan. Prick the surface of the shortbread with a fork to prevent the shortbread from puffing up. Then, using a sharp knife, score (make shallow lines) the top of the shortbread into 12 even pieces. Sprinkle a little white granulated sugar on the top of the shortbread.

Place in the preheated oven and bake until the shortbread has nicely browned (biscuit color), about 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer shortbread to a wire rack to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before removing from tart pan. Place the shortbread round on a cutting board and cut into 12 wedges (along the lines scored). Cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 12 shortbread wedges.

Shortbreads:

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (45 grams) fine yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon (8 grams) rice flour or cornstarch (corn flour)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (50 grams) dried cranberries (or cherries)

1/4 cup (45 grams) white chocolate chips or chunks

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