Brown Sugar Shortbread Feat BT21

I mean if you know me, did you really think I wouldn't...

Do a BTS bake? Esp for their anniversary which happens to be today. Although the only part of this recipe that is BTS-y is the BT21 (iykyk) cutouts (which can we take a minute to admire how cute they are?) My initial goal was to make them the sandwich shortbread cookies but as luck would have it, I didnt think it through. Thus, another form of making them as circle cookies was born. Back to the point, love BTS, love the music, the members, 'I love all' so naturally I had to make something to commemorate this day. If you are curious to their music, please check out my two favorite songs Sea (always on repeat to the point where it has its own playlist) and Save Me chefs kiss or for a slow introduction begin with Butter and Mic Drop.

These are super simple crowd pleasing cookies. As always, not overly sweet and the perfect companion to midday tea.

Tips before the Dynamite begins:

• A chilled dough is your best friend.
• A room temperature butter for mixing is also your best friend.
• A kitchen scale is the bestest of friends, a very affordable one.
• Make sure to flour your rolling pin and rolling surfaces well. If your cookies get too much flour on them, once out of the fridge from chilling I like to use a pastry brush or something of the nature and brush off the excess flour.
• The photos here are of three batches of cookies, two using the character cookie cutters and one to show the shortbread sandwiches.
• Although I used Raspberry for the ganache, any kind of good quality chocolate can be used, just make sure that the ratio is 1:1 for heavy cream to chocolate. I would steer clear of chocolate chips and lean toward baking bars.
• Flour your cookie cutters if they are more complexly shaped.
• As mentioned in the recipe, longer bake time will yield a crispier cookie and a shorter one will yield a cookie that is quicker to soften. This is all based on preference. Just make sure to watch it so they dont burn.

Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies Feat BT21

Makes 10-12 shortbread sandwich cookies or up to 30 individual cookies

Ingredients

Raspberry Ganache Filling (Optional)

• ¾ cup heavy cream (150g)
• ¾ cup Valrhona Raspberry Inspiration (150g)

Good quality chocolate can substitute for this.

Shortbread

• 1 cup unsalted European butter (227g), softened at room temp
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (260g)
• ½ cup golden brown sugar, packed (104g)
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions:

Raspberry Ganache:

• Heat the heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl, in increments of 50 seconds until hot to the touch about 2 minutes. Alternatively, heat the cream in a small saucepan on medium heat and remove when the edges start to bubble, transfer to a heat safe bowl.
• Dump the Raspberry Inspiration into the heavy cream and let sit for 5 min.
• Begin making the cookie dough here.
• After 5 minutes start whisking to homogenize the mixture.
• This can be whisked every 10 or so minutes until it becomes a thick piping consistency. It needs to be set to the point where it isn’t runny and won’t spill out of bowl if turned upside down ~ 30 min to an hour.

Shortbread:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides and beat for 30 seconds more.
• Add in brown sugar and repeat. Scrape down sides and beat again.
• Add in flour and mix until no white streaks remain, and the dough starts to come together.
• Pat the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap or place in a Ziploc. Chill for a minimum of 30 min. Ideally its best to use the dough by the next day. If chilling longer than hour, leave dough on counter for 10-20 minutes until it becomes more pliable/rollable.
• If the rolling surface can be chilled, do chill it. This dough works best when all tools are cool and well-floured.
• Take out the dough and on a light but evenly floured surface, roll out dough to a recommended thickness of 5mm or ¼ inch.
• Using a cookie cutter of 6cm or 2 ¼ in diameter, cut out cookies until all the dough has been used. Once first batch has been cut out, reform into a disk, roll out, and cut again. Optional: if smaller cookie cutter of same shape is available, cut shapes into the center of half the cookies to serve as the window where the ganache will peak through.
• Place cookies on a rimmed baking sheet (leaving about an inch between them) lined with parchment or a slipat and place into fridge for 30 minutes.
• With 15 min left in the timer, preheat oven to 350F.
• Once preheated, bake shortbread for 6-10 minutes or until the bottom edges are golden brown. A longer bake time will yield a crisp cookie while shorter will yield a softer one.
• Take out of oven and let rest on baking sheet and until warm. Move to cooling rack to reach room temperature.
• Match similar sized cookies and either pipe or spoon the ganache into the center and top with another cookie. Make sure not to add too much or else it will spill out the sides.