It amazes me how some recipes slip through the cracks. This is one of my all-time favorite cookie recipes, and somehow I never shared it here. This lead me to realize that there are still several more of my all-time favorites that have never made it onto the site. I plan to remedy that in the coming weeks. But these cookies! These cookies are really something.
I could probably have started a blog that only featured recipes for coffee cakes and shortbread cookies. I will never tire of either (hopefully you won’t either!). These are pretty much my ideal shortbread cookie. They have some whole wheat flour thrown in, but don’t let that fool you. They still contain a pound of butter. Never fear, the recipe makes a lot of cookies and as long as you share them with others, you’ll be fine. They are the most delicate and crumbly shortbread cookies I have ever eaten. The whole wheat flour adds a nuttiness that is irresistible.
The recipe comes from the supremely talented Zoe Nathan. I first had them at Huckleberry [1] in Santa Monica a couple of years ago. Some of you will love that the measurements are given in weight, some of you will hate it. It is part of my relentless crusade to get Americans to buy kitchen scales. Also, I was too lazy to convert this myself.
I like to roll my cookies out a little thinner than Nathan does, but you can do what you like. These keep well for at least a week, but because they are so delicate they don’t travel very well. This dough is surprisingly easy to work with, and rolling them out is a breeze. I use two sugars here, granulated in the cookies and superfine for the coating. You can certainly use one or the other for both. And finally, do not eat these while they are warm. Seriously, don’t. They need to chill out for a while.
In other news, I am so happy to have been selected by the editors at Saveur [2] as a finalist for their annual food blog awards. My category, Best Cooking Blog, includes 101 Cookbooks [3], The Wednesday Chef [4], Smitten Kitchen [5], I Made That! [6], and Sprouted Kitchen [7]. Can you believe that group I am included in?! All favorites of mine and they all should win! Saveur did a great job of selecting blogs that really represent the scope of what is out there. I hope you’ll all vote [2] for your favorites!
Whole Wheat Shortbread Cookies (adapted from Zoe Nathan)
- 10.5 ounces all-purpose flour
- 5.5 ounces whole wheat flour
- 4.75 ounces cornstarch
- 16 ounces Plugra butter, at cool room temperature (Plugra is suggested because it is high in fat, you can use your standard butter)
- 4.75 ounces granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- superfine sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose and whole wheat flours with the cornstarch.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine thoroughly, but be careful not to overmix.
Shape cookies by rolling them out on a flour-dusted working surface (I roll mine to about 1/4-inch) and cutting them out with cookie cutters into desired shapes. Arrange them on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and bake until the cookies are brown around the edges, 10-15 minutes. Remove them from oven and let cool on pan for 2 minutes. Dust generously with superfine sugar. Allow to cool on pans before moving to an airtight container for storage. Makes a bunch of cookies, depending on the thickness you roll dough and size of cutter. I usually get 3-4 dozen with a 2-inch circle cutter.