Rooibos shortbread
Perfect biscuits for your afternoon Rooibos
PREP: 45 minutes – CHILL: 30 minutes – BAKE: 1 hour 10 minutes
Enough biscuits for all your neighbours (about 12 ½ dozen)
- 30 g (1 oz. or one generous 1/3 cup) Purple Sunset or Red Veldt
Shortbread cookies with Rooibos and butter - 15 egg yolks
- 400 g (14 oz. or 3 cups) icing (confectioners’) sugar
- 700 g (1 1/2 lbs. or 6 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 900 g (7 ¼ cups or 2 lbs.) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 250 g (1 1/3 cups or 8 oz.) sanding or coarse crystal sugar to roll the biscuits in
1. With a mortar and pestle, grind the rooibos finely. Alternatively, pulse it briefly in a food processor. Beat the egg yolks with the icing sugar until the mixture thickens and becomes pale. Beat in the softened butter. Incorporate the flour and Rooibos. Work just until the dough is smooth – do not overwork it.
2. Divide the dough into 6 logs, each with a diameter of 3 to 4 cm (1 ¼ to 1 ½ inches) and wrap them tightly in cling film. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350° F / gas mark 4). Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. Pour the sanding sugar into a bowl.
4. Take one of the logs of dough and place the other five in the refrigerator. Cut the log into 1-cm (just under ½ inch) slices. Roll the biscuits in the sugar and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving sufficient space for them to spread. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until very lightly coloured. Transfer immediately to a cooling rack and leave to cool.
5. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough.
When the shortbread biscuits are completely cool, store them in an airtight box (if they haven’t been devoured already).
MIKAËL GROU’S PAIRING
Pair these teatime biscuits with a well-rounded, fruity or flavoured Rooibos.
