This is an old recipe that needed updating, so for St. Patrick's Day I gave it an Irish spin by using Kerrygold butter. This is called Browned Butter Shortbread or as some like to say, Brown Butter Shortbread. The butter is browned, but it's common vernacular to say brown butter. Whatever you call it, it's a "melt away" type shortbread with a very delicate texture.
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Brown Only Half the Butter
When I first started making this I browned all the butter which made the dough fairly dry. I've found there's really no need to brown all the butter. Browning just half gives you that little kick of flavor and helps keep the moisture in the dough.
So with half browned butter, the dough should not be overly dry once it all comes together. However, it does start out pretty dry so it helps to use a food processor. Here's a picture of what it should look like right before you empty it onto a clean surface to shape. This is actually a half batch.
I shape it by patting it into a ¼ to ⅓ inch slab and cutting with round cutters. You can see the dough has little flecks of brown butter in it.
Cornstarch and Soft Wheat Flour
This dough has quite a bit of cornstarch coming from the cornstarch itself and the confectioners' sugar, but that's what gives it the melt-y texture. Using a soft wheat flour like White Lily also helps make it soft and delicate, though it will spread a bit more. So if you want your cookies to hold their shape better consider using a higher protein harder wheat flour, but if you want very delicate shortbread go with the softer flour. You can also bake it the traditional way by patting it into a pan, baking, scoring while warm and separating.
Recipe
Browned Butter Shortbread
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted Irish butter, softened and cut into chunks (225 grams)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, bleached or soft like White Lily (200 grams)
- ⅔ cup confectioners' sugar (80 grams)
- ½ cup cornstarch, weigh or measure with a light hand (64 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (omit if using salted butter)
Instructions
- Brown half the butter (114 grams) over the stove, then pour into a small bowl and let cool. Throw it in the freezer if you're in a hurry and let cool just until it is sludgy.
- Mix together the flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch and salt (if using) and put in the food processor.
- Cut remaining butter into chunks and add to food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Add the browned butter and pulse until dough comes together.
- Turn dough onto a parchment or wax paper lined counter and push it together into a mass. Roll it out and chill the rolled out dough for about 20 minutes. Punch out shapes with a 2-inch round or slightly smaller cutter.
- Bake dough rounds at 350F for about 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheet, as they will be very delicate.
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