Knit Café Book September, 2006

Valerie’s Chocolate-Dipped Almond Shortbread
By Suzan Mischer
Recipe by Valerie Gordon

“During the first year and a half that I knew Valerie Gordon, she learned how to knit and opened an exciting new confection business [Valerie Confections} with her boyfriend, Stan. She regularly indulges my customers with her handcrafted gourmet toffees coated in dark chocolate and topped with orange or ginger slivers. When I asked if she would like to share her toffee recipe in my book, she predictably declined (what was I thinking?!) but happily offered up this one for shortbread…I especially love that this shortbread is dipped in chocolate on only one end so that you can eat it without getting chocolate on your hands (or your knitting).”

A Note from Valerie
This recipe was developed as a way to use leftover ingredients from our toffees. We always have some extra ingredients around the kitchen and luckily they transform into a variety of delicious cookies and confections. Quality ingredients truly make the difference between fair and delectable results. I encourage using the specific ingredients listed, though you may need to substitute for the sake of convenience and budget.

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups ground organic almonds
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (see Note)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sweet Plugra butter, softened
12-16 ounces bittersweet Valrhona Chocolate

Preheat oven to 350ªF. Butter a 9” x 13” sheet pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, ground almonds, vanilla sugar, salt, and vanilla. Blend in the softened butter.

Press the dough into the prepared pan. Using an offset spatula, level the surface. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pan twice. Reduce the heat to 300ªF and continue baking until the shortbread turns golden brown, approximately 15 minutes.

Let cool in pan 2-3 minutes on a wire rack, then slice the shortbread 12 rows vertically and 6 rows horizontally. Cool completely.

Invert a sheet pan and line with waxed or parchment paper. As the cookies are cooling, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, being careful to keep the temperature under 120ªF, until smooth.

Dip the individual pieces of shortbread into the melted chocolate and place them on the lined sheet pan to set. You may want to drizzle the chocolate over the shortbread or spread the chocolate across the entire surface for a different look (and taste). At this point, it might be necessary to refrigerate the shortbread for 2-3 minutes.

Note: Vanilla sugar is the easiest thing to make! Place 2 whole vanilla beans (sliced in the center) in an airtight glass jar with 304 cups of white sugar. Let sit in the cupboard for at least one week. If you don’t have vanilla sugar, substitute granulated sugar.

Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Makes 6 dozen.