July 1, 2015

Toasted Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Wisconsin State Fair

Toasted Pecan Shortbread with Brown Butter Cream Filling

Shortbread Cookie:

2 3/4 cups Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans, divided*

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided**

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste

 

Butter Cream Filling:

1/2 cup brown butter

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

In bowl of a food processor, pulse together Gold Medal flour, 1/2 cup toasted pecans, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Add butter; pulse until mixture is crumbly. Whisk together cream, egg yolks, and vanilla. With food processor running, slowly pour mixture through spout. Stop processor and pulse until mixture forms a ball. Remove dough. Add in remaining pecans and stir by hand. Place dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay parchment onto cookie sheets.

Butter Cream Filling: Part One. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Cook, stirring constantly until butter foams, turns golden in color, and has a nutty aroma. Immediately remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Cool to room temperature.

Remove dough from freezer. Using a 2 1/4-inch ridged cutter, cut as many cookies as possible, re-rolling scraps no more than twice. Using a 1-inch ridged cutter, remove centers from half of the cookies. Sprinkle open center cookies with remaining sugar. Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool on baking sheets.

Butter cream Filling: Part two. Using a mixer at medium high speed, beat brown butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Use cream immediately. Spread about 1 teaspoon butter cream filling onto whole cookies and top with cookies with the center removed. Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

*Toast pecans ahead of time by baking in a single layer on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F, 5-10 minutes.

Makes 24 sandwich cookies.

-Recipe from Joan Giesfeldt, 2014 Wisconsin State Fair, Gold Medal Flour Cookie Contest