Friday, March 18, 2011

French Fridays with Dorie: Salted Butter Break-Ups

 

Have you ever wondered what shortbread would be like if it was soft, instead of crispy? Well, this is it, in all of it's buttery, flaky glory. The middle is tender and melting, like a cookie and the edges are crisp and shattery like the best shortbread you've ever had. Because it came out of your oven and it's remarkably simple to put together.


 

This giant cookie starts out like a pastry, but don't let that intimidate you. It's merely putting flour, sugar, salt and butter in a processor and pulsing it with a little bit of water until it comes together all by itself. See? You didn't have to do a thing.

 

The next step is dumping it out onto a counter and patting it into a square. It takes a little rest in the refrigerator (or the freezer, if you're impatient like me... ) and then you roll it out in that same square shape, which is far easier than trying to get a perfect circle. And the more rustic-looking the better. I love that. Brush the dough with an egg yolk wash, drag a fork across the top to decorate, and then pop it in the oven. Half an hour later you have the best sugar cookie you ever tasted. Buttery, salty, flaky and impossible to stop eating. It's a good thing it's so easy to make. Stop by French Fridays with Dorie to see what everyone else thought of these Salted Butter Break-Ups.


11 comments:

  1. Love your photos! My mouth is watering!

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  2. Lovely photo. Wasn't this delicious?!

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  3. These were so easy and delicious! I'm not breaking up with this recipe any time soon. (BAD PUN!)

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  4. I thought this was a winner too! Your cookie looks great. Thanks for the tip on dragging the fork...I thought I was suppose to press the fork in (like peanut butter cookies) and couldn't see do that the number of times it would have taken to cover the whole cookie. (I think my brain has been turned off somehow!)

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  5. Looks fantastic! I found them completely addictive :)

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  6. your photos are lovely! great job. I'm still playing FFWD catchup, so I made the cheese bread this week.
    Buttercreambarbie

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  7. Nice pictures. I love how easy this was - and such a great effect.

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  8. Your cookie turned out so yummy looking and golden! Thanks for commenting on my blog. I've added yours to my Google Reader and look forward to reading your future posts.

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  9. Another wonderful recipe! I appreciated the simplicity, and my family loved the hands-on approach. I claimed the brown, crispy edges, which were the best.
    I dragged the fork to make the pattern, too:) Great photos:)

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  10. Christina, I love your photos! Your cookie is just beautiful! So glad you liked it.

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  11. Great photos and so glad to know you enjoyed it. It is always fun to try the new recipes and always a relief when they are easy. Not sure there was one easier than this - and with most ingredients on hand. Loved the novelty of breaking the cookie with family and friends....

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