Maple Pecan Shortbread

Holiday baking wouldn’t be complete without making the traditional shortbread cookie. This recipe is a delicious spin on the classic shortbread. Buttery shortbread cookies filled with chopped pecans, incredible maple flavor and orange zest. Topped with superfine sugar and cut into bite-sized morsels, making this treat just perfect for the season.

I bookmarked this recipe last holiday season, but never got around to it until now. This  rich and buttery shortbread  has a wonderful crumbly texture that isn’t overly dry. By adding cornstarch to the dough, we were able to cut down on gluten development which yielded us a tender cookie. Superfine sugar can be found in most grocery stores in the baking aisle, but don’t worry if your store doesn’t stock it. Superfine sugar is simple to make at home, just process granulated sugar in a food processor for about two minutes. Make room for this melt-in-your-mouth buttery shortbread on your cookie tray this year! 😀

Maple Pecan Shortbread

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

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Ingredients 

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 stick, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• Minced zest of 1/2 an orange
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
• 1/4 cup pecans, toasted, chopped
• Superfine sugar for dusting

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt; Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, brown sugar, and zest together, about 2 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in syrup and extract; beat until incorporated.
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three additions, beating at low speed just until combined. Fold in the nuts.
• Pat dough into an 8″ square about 3/4″ thick on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until brown around edges and golden in the center. Sprinkle a thick layer of superfine sugar over the shortbread
• While shortbread is hot, trim edges, then cut into 1-inch squares and let cool on the pan to room temperature.

Author: Laura

Source: Cuisine Cookies for the Holidays