The time has come. This is the final recipe of the Ballerina Baker Fall Season. It makes me really sad, I’m not gonna lie. I feel like this fall was extremely rushed and busy and I didn’t get a chance to really enjoy it. But that’s ok because Fall will come again next year, and I will be equally as hyped.
How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Mine was extremely busy as usual. It’s a whole lot of cooking over the course of two days, but it’s always worth it. And, then you don’t have to cook for like a week because there is so much left over. The meal plan for the next four days is just leftovers.
Now that Thanksgiving is over, it means the start of the Holiday season. I have an extremely busy week ahead of me. I’m talking two tests, and something like 6 performances. Yikes. I still have three days before I have to go back to school, and I plan to get as much school work done as possible, finish up recipes, and practice my choir and nutcracker stuff. I really don’t have time to write this post right now, but I forgot that the due date was today. Oopsies. So if this post seems a lil rushed, that would be why. But I promise the recipe itself is still great.
Ok so let’s talk about this recipe. I feel like it’s a good transition recipe from fall to winter. It’s not strictly for either season, but it is strictly delicious. It’s one of those treats that’s just meant to be snacked on with some kind of warm beverage. Very cozy, very elegant, but very simple.
Describe This Shortbread to Me
Taste: Although rosemary is often used as a savory flavor, I love it in cozy sweet treats. I think it pairs perfectly with the buttery spiced shortbread, and the sweet layer of almond paste in the center. It’s simple, but comforting.
Texture: These have a perfect crumbly shortbread texture, that simply melts in your mouth. The almond paste in the center really doesn’t change the texture much, but it does contribute to that melt in your mouth flavor.
Ease: As most shortbread recipes are, these are quite simple. You do have to brown the butter, and roll out a layer of almond paste for the middle, but neither of those steps really make the recipe difficult. For the most part, this shortbread is simple and delicious.
The Dough
This dough was modified from my rosewater shortbread. This is a very classic shortbread recipe, with very minimal ingredients. For this recipe, we made a few changes. First of all, we brown the butter which adds this delicious nutty flavor that ties the sweet almond and rosemary together so well. The next change was that I switched the granulated sugar for brown sugar. This again contributes to the cozy flavors in this recipe, along with the addition of cinnamon and ginger. The last change was adding some fresh chopped Rosemary for that cozy and unique winter flavor.
Almond Paste
Ok so almond paste makes it sound like it’s a spreadable consistency. Well surprise surprise, it’s not. Almond paste comes in a tube and it can be rolled out like pie dough. So to keep this recipe simple, all we do for the almond is roll out some almond paste in the same dimensions as your pan, and place a layer of it between two layers of your dough. The only downside is it doesn’t look super pretty. When I was cutting them my mom asked if the dough was raw in the middle, but that’s just the almond paste. But listen, not everything can be beautiful, and that’s ok.
Spiced Rosemary Almond Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces almond paste *the rollable kind (I used Odense brand)
Instructions
Brown the butter
- In a medium sized saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, keep cooking and the butter will start to sizzle and foam. Eventually you will start to see brown specks. Keep cooking, stirring now, until caramel brown. Then quickly remove from the heat and immediately pour into a bowl. Place the brown butter in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325℉ and line a 7×11 inch rectangular baking dish.
Make the dough
- Pour the chilled brown butter into a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine any unevenly cooled spots. Add the brown sugar until the mixture has lightened in color a little bit. Add the rosemary and vanilla extract and whisk until just combined. Using a large spatula, fold in the all purpose flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. You should have a thick dough.
- Spread half of the dough evenly across the bottom of the previously prepared baking dish. It will be a thin layer.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the almond paste into a thin 7×11 inch rectangle. Place it on top of the first layer of dough, and spread the remaining dough evenly on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set and slightly golden on top.
- Let the shortbread cool completely in the pan before slicing into bars and serving. The shortbread stays good sealed at room temperature for up to 4 days.