jammy granola shortbread
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One of my favorite sources for recipes is Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa. This is one of the few BAKING recipes I have made. By myself. Successfully.
The Feeding My Ohana version edits out a little bit of sugar, and includes couple of options for jam filling. I also use my own granola mola, again, mostly because I wanted to tone down the overall sweetness. It is also a very forgiving recipe for those who sometimes don't measure exactly. Using 7 ingredients, Kitchen Aid and about 75 minutes, my new colleagues think I can actually bake.
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Making Shortbread
Sift together salt and flour into a glass bowl and set aside. I do find that sifting is useful for consistency (no flour bombs in the finished product), and it is just plain fun.
Dump the block and a half of butter, sugar and vanilla into the Kitchen Aid. Set it on low/medium and mix until it just comes together. You may have to push the butter out of the mixer attachment if your butter is very cold. It's better if the butter is a little too hard than too soft.
Switch the mixer to a lower speed and slowly add the flour to the sugar/butter/vanilla. Mix until it just barely forms a dough ball.
Take 2/3 of the dough and press it into a 9 x 9 Pyrex pan. The pressed dough should be about 1/4" tall, and try not to handle it too much.
Jammy Granola Part
In a separate bowl, mix the remaining 1/3 of the dough with the granola. Use your hands to mix it together. The dough will eventually start to coat the granola a little bit and also break up into little balls of sugar/butter/flour goodness.
Slather your favorite jam over the pressed shortbread in the Pyrex pan, but leave about 1/4" border to the edge. It will seem like a lot of jam to use the entire 10-ounce jar, but don't skimp here.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Cool completely (overnight recommended) and then cut into squares. Bring to work and impress your colleagues with your mad baking skills. Even your relatives and the church ladies might be impressed.
NOTES:
1. JAM is very different JELLY in both sweetness and consistency. Recipe calls for JAM.
2. The original recipe used a full 3/4 cup of sugar and dusting with confectioner's sugar at the end. This was too sweet for us.
3. The original recipe also included 1/4 cup of almonds, but our granola has nuts in it.
4. I use a glass Pyrex because I don't have a good sense of when something is finished. This way I can see when the crust is beginning to turn that lovely golden shortbread color.
Sift together salt and flour into a glass bowl and set aside. I do find that sifting is useful for consistency (no flour bombs in the finished product), and it is just plain fun.
Dump the block and a half of butter, sugar and vanilla into the Kitchen Aid. Set it on low/medium and mix until it just comes together. You may have to push the butter out of the mixer attachment if your butter is very cold. It's better if the butter is a little too hard than too soft.
Switch the mixer to a lower speed and slowly add the flour to the sugar/butter/vanilla. Mix until it just barely forms a dough ball.
Take 2/3 of the dough and press it into a 9 x 9 Pyrex pan. The pressed dough should be about 1/4" tall, and try not to handle it too much.
Jammy Granola Part
In a separate bowl, mix the remaining 1/3 of the dough with the granola. Use your hands to mix it together. The dough will eventually start to coat the granola a little bit and also break up into little balls of sugar/butter/flour goodness.
Slather your favorite jam over the pressed shortbread in the Pyrex pan, but leave about 1/4" border to the edge. It will seem like a lot of jam to use the entire 10-ounce jar, but don't skimp here.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Cool completely (overnight recommended) and then cut into squares. Bring to work and impress your colleagues with your mad baking skills. Even your relatives and the church ladies might be impressed.
NOTES:
1. JAM is very different JELLY in both sweetness and consistency. Recipe calls for JAM.
2. The original recipe used a full 3/4 cup of sugar and dusting with confectioner's sugar at the end. This was too sweet for us.
3. The original recipe also included 1/4 cup of almonds, but our granola has nuts in it.
4. I use a glass Pyrex because I don't have a good sense of when something is finished. This way I can see when the crust is beginning to turn that lovely golden shortbread color.
