Austrian Raspberry Shortbread ~

I love shortbread and this recipe is even lighter than any I have tried before.  After you make the shortbread, you roll it into  four long snake like logs and freeze it overnight.  Then when you want to bake a batch of them, you feed each log through the feed tube of your food processor to grate it.  This process makes the shortbread as light and airy.  You can use any flavor preserve you prefer, it doesn't need to be raspberry.  They are fabulous with apricot as well.  The recipe originated from Gale Gand, who is a wonderful pastry chef.  She was on the Food Network briefly and I used to  enjoy her show.

Prep the dough up to a month before and leave them in the freezer if you wish.  This makes a delicious and easy bar for the Holiday season or just any day you want a little treat.

Enjoy ~

Ingredients

• 1 pound (4 sticks) butter softened at room temperature
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raspberry jam, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until soft and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and mix well.

 

In a medium bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter/egg yolk mixture and mix just until incorporated and the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and form into 2 balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight, or as long as a month.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove 1 ball of dough from the freezer and coarsely grate the frozen dough into the bottom of a 9 by 12-inch baking pan or a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Make sure the surface is covered evenly with shreds of dough. With a spoon or spatula, spread the jam over the surface, to within 1/2-inch of the edge all the way around. Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it over the entire surface. Bake until light golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. As soon as the shortbread comes out of the oven, dust with confectioners' sugar. Cool on a wire rack, then cut in the pan with a serrated knife.