Fruit and Nut Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Cornflour - 2 tbsps
Butter - 1/2 cup, room temperature, softened
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup (can reduce slightly for a less sweeter taste)
Salt - pinch
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp (OR clove powder)
Lemon zest - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Dried fruits and nuts - 1/4 cup each of finely chopped raisins, dried cranberries, pistachios, almonds
Method
In a bowl, add the softened butter, powdered sugar and salt and beat till light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, cardamom powder and lemon zest and mix well.
Add the flour and cornflour and mix to make a soft dough. Add the finely chopped dried fruits and nuts and mix well.
Place a 15" by 15" square plastic wrap on the work surface. Place the soft dough on it and shape it into a log as shown in the image above. Wrap the log with plastic wrap and seal the ends. Again wrap it in aluminum foil and freeze for an hour or until it hardens.
At the time of baking, pre heat oven to 160 C and remove the dough from the freezer. Unwrap and slice the dough into 1/4" slices and place them on a parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Place them at least an inch apart as they expand on baking.
Place baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 13-15 mts or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Tips
You can add any dried fruits and nuts of your choice.
The shortbread will be soft on touch after baking and will harden once it is out of the oven and cools down.
Check from 12 mts onwards as the temperature differs from oven to oven. Sometimes it could take upto 17 to 20 mts to bake.
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