Monday, March 26, 2007

Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread


Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread
Originally uploaded by watchjennybake.
For the last entry during Foodie Lit Madness, I have chosen a recipe from one of the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Child. I first picked these up because I was trying to read as many books set in South Carolina as possible, but when she added in themes of a tea shop and recipes (one character is more of a baker/caterer, who works in the tea shop), I was hooked! The main character (and amateur sleuth) is Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Teahouse in Charleston, South Carolina.

This recipe is from a book I don't have yet, but can be found on Laura Childs' site. I am reprinting it here because she specifically gave me permission (thanks!).

Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread

3/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. sugar

Cream butter and powdered sugar, stir in poppy seeds and lemon juice. Gradually add flour, mixing well. Divide dough into four portions and roll our each portion into a 4˝ circle on a lightly floured surface. Cut each circle into six wedges. Prick dough with fork and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool, then break into wedges.

Jenny's notes: I was impatient and didn't wait for the butter to get soft enough, and as a result had to add quite a bit of cream to get all the flour to absorb into the dough. I added a little extra lemon juice too. The flavor is good, and baking the rounds on parchment paper helped them not to brown too much on the bottoms and the edges.

Categories: Cookies, Foodie Lit, Lemon, Poppyseed, Shortbread

No comments: