Almond Shortbread with Raspberry White Chocolate Frosting

These almond shortbread filled with raspberry jam and white chocolate frosting are a proper Christmas baking project. Although it’s a constant challenge for me to find time to make something more intricate than a one-layer cake or a pan of brownies, Christmas is the season where I always make the time for at least one elaborate baking session. Squeezed in between holiday parties, gift wrapping, and card-writing, a long afternoon of rolling out dough, melting chocolate, and piping frosting to Christmas jazz in the background, is one of the best pleasures of the season for me.

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This recipe is adapted from Mindy Segal’s wonderful Cookie Love. So many of her recipes feature intriguing combinations of ingredients and flavors that have me wondering, “What would these taste like?” and bookmarking them – the book is pretty much all bookmarked! I saw her recipe for Smoked Almond Shortbread with Raspberry Framboise, composed of shortbread made with smoked almonds, filled with caramelized white chocolate frosting and raspberry lambic jam, and it immediately went on my to-make list.

I’ve modified the recipe a bit for the holidays – using my round cutters makes them look almost like linzer cookies. Using smoked almonds gives the shortbread an intense, almost savory flavor, but if you want a more classic alternative you can use regular almonds. Or, to save even more time, you can use ground almond meal.

The caramelized white chocolate frosting was also a revelation for me: I’m not usually a fan of white chocolate as it can be overly sweet, but once you let it bake and caramelize into a toffee-ish brown, it gains a whole new depth of flavor. Working with white chocolate also gives me fits as well; it’s delicate so when you melt it, it’s easy to turn into a crumbly mess. Baking it in the oven as Mindy suggests seems to be a more forgiving method, and using the food processor definitely helps. The chocolate seemed a little dry and stiff when I pulled it out, but a spin in the food processor made it reassuringly smooth and creamy again. I also found that caramelizing the chocolate at the same time you make the frosting works pretty well too, instead of making it beforehand, so it stays liquid and doesn’t cool down and harden before you have time to use it.

The raspberry lambic jam in Mindys’ recipe combines raspberries and raspberry lambic beer to make a tangy version of raspberry jam. This is another component where if you want to save time, you can use store-bought raspberry jam, or simply cook down some raspberries with sugar as I do in my recipe below. Don’t leave this component out altogether though: I really liked how the tartness of the raspberries cut through the sweetness of the white chocolate frosting.

Making these almond shortbread definitely takes a bit of planning; I find it best to make the dough either the night before or first thing in the morning, and then make the jam and the frosting while the dough chills. You’ll also have to leave time after dipping the shortbread in melted chocolate to let it set. But it’s all worth the effort: the gorgeous results will be the highlight of any cookie box or dessert table. I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season as much as I am!

Almond Shortbread with Raspberry White Chocolate Frosting

 

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Author: Anita Chu

Ingredients

Shortbread

• 2 cups smoked salted almonds (or 1½ cups almond meal)
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 13 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1⅓ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Raspberry Framboise Jam

• 12 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon framboise (raspberry brandy)

White Chocolate Frosting

• 6 ounces white chocolate
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• ½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
• ¼ teaspoon orange blossom water
• ½ cup raspberry jam (per recipe above or store bought)

To Finish

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Instructions

For the shortbread:

1. Combine almonds and half the flour in a food processor and blend until almonds are combined into the flour and it resembles a coarse meal. Add in the rest of the flour and process to combine. If you are using almond meal you can combine it and all the flour at once.
2. Add in the salts and process to combine.
3. Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light colored and creamy.
4. Add the sugar and beat on low speed until combined, about 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Add in egg yolks, one at a times, and then the vanilla extract, beating between additions until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
6. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until dough starts coming together. Don't let it turn into a solid ball.
7. Turn out dough onto a clean surface and gently knead it together by hand.
8. Divide dough into two parts, flatten into a rectangle, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until dough is chilled and firm.
9. Roll out the dough, one piece at a time, between two pieces of parchment paper or two silicone baking mats to about ¼" thickness. Dust the dough with flour to help prevent sticking.
10. Place the dough, still between parchment paper or baking mats, on a baking pan and place back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to re-chill.
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line several baking pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
12. Cut out shapes from the dough with a cookie cutter and place on baking sheets. Pierce each of the cookies a couple times with a fork.
13. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, rotating pans once, until cookies feel firm to the touch and are light golden brown around the edges.
14. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

For the jam:

1. Combine the raspberries, sugar, and framboise in a medium bowl. Let the mixture sit for about 2 hours.
2. Cook the mixture in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the jam is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes.
4. You can strain the seeds out of the jam if you want. Let jam cool.

For the frosting:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Break the white chocolate into pieces and place in an 8-inch square baking pan.
3. Bake chocolate for 15 minutes.
4. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate to help it melt evenly. Continue baking, stirring every 5 minutes, until chocolate turns caramel brown, about 25 minutes total. The chocolate may turn crumbly and grainy.
5. Scrape the chocolate into the food processor and blend until smooth. Let it cool while you make the rest of the frosting.
6. Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light colored and creamy.
7. Add the sugar and beat on low speed until combined, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
8. Add in the white chocolate, vanilla bean paste, and salts. Beat until fully combined and smooth.
9. Add in orange blossom water and beat to combine.
10. Fill a pastry bag fitted with the Ateco #804 tip with the frosting.
11. To assemble:
12. Pipe rows of frosting on half the cookies.
13. Place a small spoonful of raspberry jam on top of the frosting and swirl in with a wooden skewer or fork.
14. Place the other half of the cookies on top.
15. Melt the chocolate.
16. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
17. Dip the cookies in the melted chocolate. Place on the lined sheets. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 1 hour.

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