Sweet 'n' Savoury: Chocolatey Shortbread-The long and the short of...chocolate!!

Monday, 24 December 2012

Chocolatey Shortbread-The long and the short of...chocolate!!

'The long and the short of' - said when you want to explain the general situation without giving details

Shortbread - Shortbread is a type of biscuit having originated in Scotland.The 'short' refers to the short texture, meaning sandy and break-apart as opposed to chewy or flaky

Chocolate!

The mere mention of this word brings the widest grin on any face and is universally loved by all. A bar of your favorite chocolate can brighten any gloomy day and is the perfect excuse to indulge and satisfy your sweet tooth. It is usually described as Rich, Creamy, Decadent, Smooth, Addictive, Delicious, Sinful, Devil's food!!

I might be sounding like a Choco-maniac who loves to grab her favorite chocolate and not share with anyone! The fact is, how much ever I LOVE chocolate, I do not like to indulge in chocolate bars. I love chocolate as in a flavour in all my deserts, be it ice creams or yummy chocolate loaded pastries and tarts!! (I am so drooling!!)

Last month when my brother gifted me a pack of mini Toblerones and Skittles, I ended up using both of them in some yummy sweet indulgence. You will remember my Sticky toffee chocolate blondies using Skittles. As soon as my brother gave me the toblerones, I was reminded of this amazing shortbread I saw on Divya Kudua's blog Easycooking.

This recipe is very quick and easy to make and is very yummy. The reason I share this recipe is because above us all Vaanya, my baby, loved it! She turns 19 months today, on the eve of Christmas(does time fly fast or what). She is growing prettier, sweeter and naughtier by the day. She call me 'Mummy' in her most sweetest voice which I tell you is much more lovelier than any chocolate ever made. Some things in life are better than chocolate!!This recipe is made especially to celebrate our most sweetest day, the day she was born!

Ingredients: I halved the recipe

1/4 cup or 4 tbsp unsalted butter(room temperature)
1/6 cup or 2 tbsp+2 tsp sugar(powdered)
1/2 cup or 8 tbsp all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
Toblerone candy bars-I used 8 mini ones. You can use half of the big bar.(Substitute with any other sweet/dark chocolate, as you like it)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius. Grease lightly a 6 " round tin(You may use a square tin)

Roughly chop the chocolates to small pieces and keep aside.

Take butter and sugar in a bowl and beat till creamy. Mix in the flour.

Mix it well and pat the dough in the prepared tin. Level the mixture with the back of a spoon or use your fingers.

Bake for 30 mins.

Take it out of the oven and sprinkle the chopped chocolate. Leave it for some time and then with a spoon spread it well. In the beginning the chocolate might not spread well and stick to your spoon but keep doing it till it smoothens.

Leave to set for a couple of mins and then cut in any desired shape. I chose a triangular shape. You may cut in squares.

Remember to cut it soon as otherwise the shortbread will harden and will be brittle while cutting. I did that mistake and you can see the uneven edges of my triangles.

Verdict: Do I have to say it. Vaanya's pictures say it all. I wasn't sure if she can eat it as I thought the base may be too hard for her(She has only 4 teeth up and 4 teeth down, she does not have her chewing set of teeth yet) But once I gave her she chomped on it so well, loving the chocolate and the soft base. She actually came asking for more!! Mothers delight, for sure! Easy peasy and a yummy desert. Baker's delight too!