Serving: 15
This is a wonderful recipe, it is using a French method. Its is very light and crunchy to eat. It is a perfect cookie for an afternoon tea.
Ingredients
4 cups All-purpose flour
10 oz Unsalted butter (softened)
6oz Caster sugar
3 Egg yolks
1 Vanilla pod (seeds removed) or vanilla extract
4oz Hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360°F.
- This is an amazing recipe that works every time, I learned it from the amazing chef called Steven Doherty during my time at the Cook School Scotland.
- The first job is to roast and peel the hazelnuts, don’t worry its not as difficult as it sounds. First place the nuts onto a baking tray and place into the preheated oven and roast until the skins of the nuts turn dark brown.
- Remove from the oven and pour into a clean tea towel. Close up the tea towel by gathering up the ends and make a little pouch. Next rub the nuts in the tea towel until all the skins have fallen off.
- Remove the nuts from the tea towel one at a time leaving the skins in the tea towel.
- Roughly chop the nuts.
- Separate the yolks.
- In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with your hands. Steven insisted that you always use your hands and I have tried using a spoon and it is better by hand.
- Now add yolks and seeds and work into butter mixture. Buy now you have figured out why you need to separate the yolks before getting your hands into the mix.
- Finally add flour and roasted chopped hazelnuts and bring together to form a smooth paste.
- Roll into sausages and chill for about an hour in the fridge.
- When you are ready to bake the shortbread cut the logs into 1cm slices place onto a baking tray lined with butter and flour.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 360°F
- Once baked dust with a little castor sugar.
Notes
The rounds of dough freeze really well I would make these in large batches and freeze the logs and use as needed by defrosting overnight in the fridge.
