Try this unique lemon poppy seed shortbread recipe

This is an interesting variation that was developed by a fellow experimenter in the kitchen. The lemon adds a nice contrast to the buttery sweetness of shortbread and the poppy seeds an interesting texture when you bite into the cookie. I really like them. The amount of lemon juice you add depends on how much sour you want in your shortbread and the amount of poppy seeds depends on how much “crunch” you want in each bite. I do find a small amount of poppy seeds go a long way in this lemon poppy seed shortbread recipe.

Ingredients

1c flour
1/2 c cornstarch
1/2 c icing sugar
3/4 c butter
lemon juice from 1-2 lemons
1-3 tsp poppy seeds

Directions

Cream together first four ingredients.
Add in lemon juice and poppy seeds.
Roll out into 1 inch balls.
Flatten with a fork onto a cookie tray.
Chill in fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Heat over to 300F.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown.

lemon poppy seed shortbread — Lemon Poppy Seed shortbread

Notes:

I’m not a cook and I’m sure there are many techniques to baking that would make the above recipes tastier. In any case, I hope you enjoy the recipe and the results.

Some variations on the classic shortbread recipe involve adding in extra liquid. With those recipes I find you get a shortbread that spreads out more than usual. If you don’t want this then I suggest reducing the amount of butter a bit or increasing the dry ingredients a bit.

For the savory shortbreads I would suggest limiting the sugar content. I will keep working on the ratio of sweet to savory for those but the do smell wonderful when you take them out of the oven!

Tea Pairings:

Good question. Honestly, I think shortbread goes with anything! And tea goes with anything too! So, it’s a match made in heaven. I have tried different teas with each of the shortbread varieties with no particular pairing methodology behind the pairing. Each tea I have used can stand on its own.

Modifications:

OMG! There are so many modifications to the classic shortbread recipe which is from the Canada brand of corn starch. A picture of this shortbread recipe on the back of the Canada brand cornstarch box can be found in the figure below. I’m considering trying adding loose leaf tea leaves into the classic shortbread batter after it is creamed together. For example, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Lavendar, any herbal tea. Once I have gone through the 12 days of shortbread I will include a list of recipes of shortbread variations for the future such as caramel, toffee, skor, sea salt, white chocolate macadamian nut, carrot cake, pumpkin spice, cranberry and pistachio. I’m also considering more savory variations using other types of cheese like brie, havarti, smoked cheeses, maybe even some cream cheeses.

References:

17 Incredibly Perfect Tea and Biscuit Combinations, Emma Cooke, March 2016, buzzfeed.com, URL: https://www.buzzfeed.com/emmacooke24/digestives-and-breakfast-tea-is-life
The best tea and biscuit pairings, Niamh Ollerton, Nov 2016, lovefood.com, URL: https://www.lovefood.com/news/56428/tea-biscuit-pairings-breakfast-tea-chocolate-hobnob-earl-grey-ginger-nut

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Lani and Norm

I enjoy learning and sharing that knowledge.Sharing has been in many forms over the years, as a teaching assistant, university lecturer, Pilates instructor, math tutor and just sharing with friends and family.Throughout, summarizing what I have learnt in words has always been there and continues to through blog posts, articles, video and the ever growing forms of content out there!