Spiced Shortbread (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 16, 2020
Time
1½ hours, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Makes 16 cookies
Sugar
3 grams (down from 5)
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Do not skip grinding the coconut sugar in step 1 or the shortbread will have a very dense, dry texture.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Place collar of 9- or 9½-inch springform pan on parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet (do not use springform pan bottom). Grind coconut sugar in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix ground sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add chilled butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and mix until dough comes together, about 5 minutes. Give dough final stir by hand.
- Press dough evenly into springform collar and smooth top of dough with back of spoon. Using 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out dough in center; place extracted dough on baking sheet and replace cutter in center of dough. Open springform collar, but leave it in place.
- Place shortbread in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Bake shortbread until edges are deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and remove springform pan collar and biscuit cutter. Using chef's knife, score surface of shortbread into 16 even wedges, cutting halfway through shortbread. Using blunt end of wooden skewer, poke 8 to 10 holes in each wedge. Return shortbread to oven and continue to bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes.
- Let shortbread cool completely on sheet, about 2 hours. Cut shortbread along scored lines and serve.
Time
1½ hours, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Makes 16 cookiesSugar
3 grams (down from 5)Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
The basics of making shortbread haven't changed much over the past five centuries: Combine flour, sugar, butter, and salt; pat the dough into a round; and bake. With so few ingredients, each one has a big impact, so taking out half the sugar meant we had to abandon this time-honored formula. However, we still wanted all the best elements of classic shortbread: a pleasantly crumbly texture and plenty of buttery richness offset by subtle sweetness. Reverse creaming (combining the flour and sugar before adding the butter) created less aeration and produced a more substantial shortbread. To solve the persistent problem of blandness, we added a hefty dose of cinnamon and vanilla along with some nutmeg and cloves. The spices gave the shortbread an identity and complemented the buttery flavor. Although tasters liked the flavor of Sucanat, the texture of the shortbread made with coconut sugar was more on par with their expectations. To bake the shortbread, we started the oven at a hot 425 degrees, which helped set the crust, and then lowered the temperature to 300 degrees to allow the shortbread to gently bake through. To form the shortbread into a neat round, we used a springform pan collar as a mold. We started with the collar in the closed position to help shape the raw dough and then opened the collar before baking to allow the shortbread to expand slightly.
Before You Begin
Do not skip grinding the coconut sugar in step 1 or the shortbread will have a very dense, dry texture.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Place collar of 9- or 9½-inch springform pan on parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet (do not use springform pan bottom). Grind coconut sugar in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix ground sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add chilled butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and mix until dough comes together, about 5 minutes. Give dough final stir by hand.
- Press dough evenly into springform collar and smooth top of dough with back of spoon. Using 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out dough in center; place extracted dough on baking sheet and replace cutter in center of dough. Open springform collar, but leave it in place.
- Place shortbread in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Bake shortbread until edges are deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and remove springform pan collar and biscuit cutter. Using chef's knife, score surface of shortbread into 16 even wedges, cutting halfway through shortbread. Using blunt end of wooden skewer, poke 8 to 10 holes in each wedge. Return shortbread to oven and continue to bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes.
- Let shortbread cool completely on sheet, about 2 hours. Cut shortbread along scored lines and serve.
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