Buttery, toasty cookie with a crisp exterior and melt in your mouth interior.

Five Spice Shortbread

Makes 15 cookies

I’ve never really been a Christmas cookie baker extraordinaire, but I’ve always wanted to be. The idea of baking and sharing a plethora of cookies with friends and family even mailing them out to others across the country has been something I’ve always wanted to do. I haven’t quite gotten there yet but, I think these shortbreads would be a good start.

With the texture of a traditional buttery, melt in your mouth shortbread, I’ve baked these longer to add an additional crisp to the exterior giving more contrast to this cookie. I’ve also flavored these with five spice, my blend was homemade but a store bought version will work too. The numbing citrusy flavor of the Sichuan peppercorn with the cinnamon and star anise pair perfectly with the butter and my addition of kongkaru, Korean roasted soybean powder in the dough.

Ingredients

112g (0.75 c + 2 T) all purpose flour

75g (5 T) granulated sugar

*36g (3 T) rice flour

**30g (0.25 c) kongkaru

2g (0.50 t) kosher salt

2g (0.50 t) 5 spice powder

1g (0.25 t) ground nutmeg

1/8 t ground ginger

1/8 t ground cinnamon

112g (8 T) butter, cut into cubes and kept cold

4g (1 t) vanilla extract or 15ml (1 T) makgeolli

Method

1.      Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.

2.      In a medium mixing bowl whisk the dry ingredients together well.

• Add the butter and toss well to coat with flour.

• Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles wet sand.

• Pour over the vanilla and toss well.

• Lift the dough out of the bowl and press together repeatedly tucking the edges under and continually bringing them into the center. Continue for 1 minute.

3.      Place the dough on the prepared parchment.

• Using lightly floured hands, press the dough into a 20cm x 15cm x 2cm (8 in x 6 in x 0.75 in) rectangle.

Lightly re-flour your hands as necessary.

• Using a thin bladed knife along the 20 cm (8 in) edge mark off intervals every 4cm (1.5 in).

• Repeat along the 15cm (6 in) edge marking off intervals every 5cm (2 in).

• With the same knife cut the dough to the bottom along the marked intervals to create the shortbreads.

Do not separate! These scores will leave a guideline on where to cut later.

• With a fork, poke through each individual cookie to the bottom 4 or 5 times in a vertical line.

4.      Place the cookie sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes.

The refrigeration does not have to last 30 minutes, it can be as long as it takes your oven to preheat or you do not have to refrigerate the dough at all and can bake immediately.

Unrefrigerated dough will spread a little more than colder dough and the design poked with the fork may not hold as well.

• Preheat oven to 135 C / 275 F.

• Bake for 75 to 90 minutes.

For a softer shortbread bake for 75 mins for a crisper shortbread bake for up to 90 minutes.

Keep in mind that as the shortbread cools, it will firm up some more but will also soften when stored.

The shortbreads should not color much but if baking longer, check that they are not browning too much after 80 minutes.

5.      Take the baking sheet out of the oven and place on a cooling rack.

• With the same thin bladed knife used before, carefully cut the shortbreads along the scores made previously and gently separate.

The shortbreads are still tender at this point as you cut through do so carefully especially at the edges so they do not crumble.

• Cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.

• Remove the cookies to the cooling rack and cool completely.

6.      Serve.