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This Austrian Raspberry Blueberry Shortbread employs an easy but unique technique to ensure a melt-in-your-mouth delicious dessert!
If you've been reading my blog for a while now you might just be realizing that I'm quite smitten with shortbread. Just last week I blogged about Salted Toffee Shortbread Cookies and then there was the Lemon Grass Lemon Tart with Coconut Shortbread Crust. Even when my sister Annie was a guest blogger she featured a Coconut Macaroon Tart with - you guessed it - a shortbread crust (maybe it's a genetic problem)! And now another shortbread recipe? Yes, you're right, I do have a most definite fondness for all things shortbread and this fabulous Austrian Raspberry Blueberry Shortbread recipe is no exception.
I found this newest shortbread concoction in a wonderful cookbook that I've recently discovered, Butter, Sugar, Flour, Eggs. This sweet little recipe book is one of the finest dessert cookbooks I have come across in a long time. The authors Gale Gand and Rick Tramonto have worked together in some of the most famous kitchens across both the United States and Europe. Their cookbook boasts a plethora of wonderful, unique and beautiful looking desserts. You would have laughed had you been a fly on the wall this past week hearing me squealing in delight as I paged through this awesome book!
I actually first saw their Austrian Shortbread recipe years ago in Gourmet Magazine. I was intrigued by the interesting yet simple technique involved in achieving an extremely light textured shortbread (see recipe). I originally made it just as the recipe specifies layering raspberry jam between the two layers, but recently decided to try a less sweet and simpler version, using fresh fruit mixed with a bit of sugar, flour, and lemon. Both versions are delicious but with fresh fruit so abundant and beautiful at the moment, I opted for this blueberry/raspberry rendition today...and no one seemed to complain!!
- 7 ounces butter 14 tablespoons, slightly softened
- 2 egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup fresh raspberries
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- confectioners’ sugar for dusting
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Cream the butter in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer) until soft and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix well.
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Add the ¾ cup granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt to the butter mixture and mix just until incorporated and the dough starts to come together.
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Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and form into two balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight (or as long as a month, if you like).
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When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease an 8x8 or 9x9 square baking pan or a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. (I use Baker's Joy spray)
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Remove one ball of dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it by hand or with the grating disk in a food processor into the bottom of the prepared pan. Make sure the surface is covered evenly with shreds of dough.
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Gently mix the blueberries, raspberries and the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar, flour, lemon zest in a small bowl until combined, then add to blueberry/raspberry mixture and mix gently with your hand to coat the berries with the flour mixture.
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Cover the bottom layer of dough with the blueberry mixture as evenly as possible, gently pressing the berries into the dough. Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it over the entire surface. (I grate this second ball of dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, then sprinkle over the berries.)
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Place in oven and cover lightly with foil, bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil. Continue baking until lightly golden brown and the center no longer wiggles, about 20-30 minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
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After the shortbread is cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired or drizzle with lemon glaze. For lemon glaze, mix ½ cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add enough milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to thin out to a thick drizzling consistency.
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Cool on a wire rack then cut right in the pan with a serrated knife. Chilling the pan in the fridge makes it a lot easier to get clean cuts.
Adapted from Butter Sugar Flour Eggs.
Coleen says
I made this for a group at our home and it was quite popular especially with a drizzle of the lemon glaze. I would recommend cooking it on the longer side of the minutes, even a bit longer. I have a definite tendency to pull things early rather than late, liking soft cookies and moist cakes, but in this case, crunchier is better. And the fruit made the middle a bit soggy in mine, so I would err on the side of cooking longer, also for a more shortbread crisp texture.
Susan says
I can't believe that I just discovered your blog - it's really lovely and I've added a link from my blog to yours.
I love shortbread, too, and just made an interesting one with Rosemary in it for the Baked Sunday Mornings on-line group.
I think yours with the color of the berries will be perfect for the 4th of July!
Angela says
With recipes like this, I definitely would not have laughed. I would have squealed with you.
The Café Sucré Farine says
He he! You are so funny Natalie! From reading the cookbook it seems that the woman who originated this recipe was named Lydia and was from Austria. But now you have gotten me thinking......maybe they would be good with a layer of Nutella in the center............oh no, here she goes again!
Natalie says
This looks delicious! I spent about a year and a half in Austria and I don't remember seeing anything like this. Maybe if I would have taken my head out of the Nutella jar I might have noticed 🙂
Allison says
This is a great twist to shortbread. I love shortbread and may have to steal that 4th of july idea!
The Café Sucré Farine says
Thanks for stopping by Caroline!
sweetcarolinescooking.com says
What a gorgeous shortbread, Chris! I'm so glad I stumbled across your blog. 🙂
The Café Sucré Farine says
I didn't think about that, Mary but you're right it would be perfect for the 4th! Great idea, thanks!
Mary says
This is really gorgeous and it would be perfect for the 4th of July in the U.S.I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary