Saturday, August 18, 2012

Recipe #1: Cardamom shortbread

This was the sunset this evening, as taken from the roof of my building. It's not related to anything in this post, I just thought it was beautiful
I'm beginning my weekend cooking a bit late (9 pm on a Saturday isn't late, right? Lots of people stay out until the wee hours. I just cook until the wee hours). I was a little overwhelmed at all the options and still haven't decided on a savory meal. So instead, I'm turning to my usual procrastination method and baking some sweets.

I'm not sure where I initially found the recipe, but I love cardamom, so it was perfect: Cardamom shortbread! As a bonus - err, justification - it uses up the rest of my rolled oats.

Ingredients:


Only 6 ingredients! I added some nutmeg to make it seven, but overall, super simple.
It sounded straightforward, simple, and tasty - just what I need to get back into baking (I haven't really done any since my return from Zurich in mid-July). Pictures below, actual recipe at the end.

First, cream the butter and sugar together well, then add oats and vanilla.

Creamed mixture plus oats. I forgot to take a picture of just the butter and sugar, I got wrapped up catching up on the first season of Grimm (a poor not-really substitute for Buffy, but I do enjoy the wise-cracking werewolf-like sidekick).
An empty can! Am I the only one excited about this? (yes, probably). I can't guarantee there won't be more pictures of empty things as I use items up.
Add in flour, cardamom, and any other spices you might enjoy (I added some nutmeg), mix until it all comes together. Press mixture into a very, super well-greased 9-inch cake pan.

All pressed and ready to go! I would recommend tamping down around the edges a bit more than this.
 Bake in a 350F oven for around 25 minutes (I did closer to 30, but I'm fairly convinced that my oven thinks that 320 is the new 350). Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes (important!).

Out of the oven and smelling divine.
 Carefully loosen the edges with a knife (this is made easier if the edges don't stick up very much, hence my advice to tamp them down well) and turn shortbread out onto a cutting board. Cut while still warm - hypothetically into wedges, but you can get creative. Allow to cool entirely before storing away into an airtight container.

I didn't wait an entire 10 minutes before the cutting board, so I had one piece that broke off. I then had to get creative with my wedges. Luckily, it doesn't have to be pretty to taste good.
Verdict: As might be expected with this much cardamom and so little flour, the flavor is strong - almost too much in some bites. However, I love cardamom and thought overall it was delicious - not too sweet, the texture was spot on for shortbread, and would taste absolutely divine with a lovely cup of chai or other black tea. I added in the dash of nutmeg to the recipe, and next time I would vary the spices more, but probably keep the overall amount (1 tsp total) the same. And I would definitely make it a next time!

Shortened recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp ground cardamom
2/3 cup flour
dash of nutmeg

Cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla and oats, mix in. Add cardamom, nutmeg, and flour, mix until a dough forms. Press dough into very well-greased 9-inch cake pan and bake in a 350F oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully loosen edges with a knife and tap out shortbread onto a cutting board. Cut into wedges while still warm, let cool completely. Enjoy!



1 comment:

  1. yay to empty containers!! this is a great project for your time writing, actually - being creative in the kitchen is always a great distraction/recuperation tactic. the real question, should i add grimm to my 'to watch' list? wasn't there another similar series you recommended to me in february?

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