Hungarian ShortbreadPrint Recipe

or Austrian shortbread, you take your pick. But by all accounts this recipe was bought to our attention by the great sage of American cooking, Julia Child (and it even has her trade mark ‘pound of butter’ in the ingredients). The shortbread biscuit has a buttery, crumbly texture that comes from grating the frozen dough and this is complimented with a trickle of jam running through the centre. On this occasion I chose strawberry and rhubarb jam, only because I found a very sweet looking jar at my new favourite market. Ordinarily I might use raspberry or apricot but my new jam-find was perfect – the slight tartness of the rhubarb worked exceptionally well with the sweet shortbread.

While this recipe calls for an electric mixer, I actually did it by hand, once again because I have no option (my mixer is still in storage). I will tell you something though, my arms are getting a work out like you would not believe. And I am wondering how they made cakes and fluffy concoctions prior to all these gadgets that cover our kitchen counters and fill our cupboards. Anyway, until I get my beloved Kitchenaide back I am in no way going to attempt cakes, cupcakes or anything that would require the arms of a professional wrestler.

So back to the shortbread – I ended up piping the jam through a piping bag – I am a klutz when it comes to spooning jam and I did not want to put any unnecessary pressure on the grated dough.

Apparently they sell this shortbread in quite a few bistro type places over the US. I can certainly understand everyone’s infatuation with it – and the woman who bought it to our attention. Thank you Julia!

454 grams/1 pound unsalted butter, slightly softened
4 egg yolks
2 cups granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup of jam, at room temperature
1/4 cup icing/powdered sugar

Cream the butter in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until fluffy. Add the egg yolks and mix well.

Mix the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to the butter and egg yolk mixture and mix just until combined and the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and form into two balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease and line a 9 x 13 inch baking tin.

Remove one ball of dough from the freezer and coarsely grate with a box grater into the bottom of the tin (you can use a food processor with a grater attachment). Make sure the surface is covered evenly with shreds of dough.

Drop the jam over the dough evenly with a spoon or alternatively use a piping bag – spread as much as you can without pushing down onto the shards of dough. Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it over the entire surface.

Bake until lightly golden brown and set, around 45 to 50 minutes. As soon as the shortbread comes out of the oven, dust with icing sugar.

Cool on a wire rack, then cut in the pan with a serrated knife.

Notes: I popped my shortbread in the fridge for a couple of hours (after they had cooled) it makes it easier to slice. I tend to do the same with most of my slices and bars – cooling them also makes for a neater cut. AND one more thing – this recipe is all over cooking/food blogs, some of which suggest flavouring the shortbread with lemon, vanilla and even cinnamon (god forbid). I suggest you don’t – let the jam be the hero and enjoy it with the perfectly plain shortbread.

Source: Julia Child

© 2010, Michelle. All rights reserved.