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Raspberry Pistachio Shortbreads:
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (1 grams) salt
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
Glaze:
1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
1 - 2 tablespoons cream or milk
chopped pistachios
freeze dried raspberries, crushed
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Raspberry Pistachio Shortbreads: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the salt.
In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer or you can mix the batter by hand in a bowl with a wooden spoon), beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat, on medium low speed, until incorporated. Beat in the flour mixture.
Roll the dough into a log shape that is about 7 inches (18 cm) long. Wrap the log in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least three hours, or up to three days. (The logs can also be frozen for about two months.)
Then, using a sharp knife, slice the log into 1/4 inch (.5 cm) thick cookies. Place the cookies on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper, spacing the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Place the baking sheet, with the unbaked cookies, in the refrigerator to chill while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with the rack in the center of the oven.
Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are brown around the edges (the longer the cookies bake the more crisp they will be). Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Glaze: In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar with just enough cream to make a smooth and spreadable glaze. Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread a thin layer of glaze onto the cookies. Immediately sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the chopped pistachios and crushed freeze dried raspberries. Let the glaze dry completely (this may take several hours). Once the glaze has completely dried, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about one week. The cookies can also be frozen.
Makes about 26 shortbread cookies.
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Shortbreads have a buttery rich flavor and a crisp and crumbly texture. For this recipe I took a plain shortbread and topped it with a powdered sugar glaze and then a sprinkling of chopped pistachios and crushed freeze dried raspberries. This gives you a cookie that not only looks beautiful, but the combination of tart and sweet flavors is irresistible.
The secret to making a good shortbread is to use a high quality butter. My preference is to use the European-style butters which have a higher butterfat content. Also, when you buy butter you have two choices; salted and unsalted. While I like to use unsalted butter because of its pure sweet buttery flavor and I also like to control the amount of salt in the recipe, you can use salted butter and just leave out the salt called for in the recipe.
Atlanta has many excellent bakeries which I also follow on Instagram. One bakery I like sells a cookie that looks like this shortbread recipe. I have never actually tasted their cookie, so this recipe is just my interpretation of how I imagine it would taste. The unusual ingredient in this recipe is the freeze dried raspberries that are sprinkled on top of the glaze. I just love the concentrated tart flavor of freeze dried raspberries which I think nicely offsets the sweetness of the powdered sugar glaze. There are many brands of freeze dried raspberries and you should be able to find them in most grocery stores or else on line.