About ten years ago, I started to dabble in baking. I have always cooked a lot. My mom says that I always "played with my food" adding some garlic powder to chicken noodle soup or homegrown parsley to a baked potato as a kiddo. Cooking followed me through college, were I bought I giant stock pot to make soup for my roommates and friends every Wednesday. I was a decent cook...but not a good baker. I could make banana bread, brownies, and maybe a couple of cookies, but that was about it. And things didn't always turn out great...or edible. I hated to measure things and follow instructions. I'd rather add a dash of something, or swap out this for that. But baking didn't work like that. (Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable.) You had to be precise, understand some techniques, and actually measure your ingredients.
Fast forward to the last five years or so. I can say that I know how to bake. I'm comfortable enough with the basics to create my own recipes. After days of testing, I enjoy sitting at the computer to type up a recipe, a detailed method, and some tips and tricks. I love the baking part, but the writing part challenges me to explain how I make it. I love (and am constantly flummoxed by) translating flavor and texture into words.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a "pinch me" moment: my first recipe put into print. The Chicago Tribune asked me and two of my friends (and fellow Great American Baking Show contestants) to share a recipe. And here's mine!
Orange, Anise, and Spelt Shortbread
Originally featured in the Chicago Tribune.
These aromatic, buttery, not-too-sweet, whole-grain shortbread cookies are a perfect tea-time snack or after-dinner treat. As a kid, I hated the flavor of anise seeds. But as an adult, I can’t get enough of that sweet licorice flavor. If you don’t like anise seeds, substitute them with ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom. I use a lot of whole grains in my baking, and I love the locally grown grains we can get in the Midwest from places such as Janie’s Mill in Ashkum, Illinois. Whole-grain spelt flour gives these treats a nutty flavor and hearty texture. If you can’t find whole-grain spelt flour, this recipe works well with all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour.
Makes about 25 cookies.
Ingredients:
½ teaspoon anise seeds (up to 1 teaspoon if you love the anise like me)
60 g (⅓ cup) sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Zest of one orange, finely grated
115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
180 g (1½ cups) whole-grain spelt flour, plus more for rolling
1 tablespoon sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions:
Crush or coarsely grind the anise seeds using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Combine the crushed anise seeds, sugar, salt and orange zest in a large mixing bowl. Use your fingers to rub the orange zest into the sugar, which helps release the flavorful citrus oil. Add the room-temperature butter to the sugar mixture, and use a wooden spoon to stir until everything is well combined and the butter is creamy (about three minutes). If using a stand mixer, mix with a paddle attachment on medium-low speed for about two minutes.
Add flour and stir to combine — but don’t overmix the dough. If dough seems unreasonably sticky, add one or two teaspoons of flour. Squeeze dough into a ball, and place onto a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour. Dust your hands or rolling pin with flour, then gently pat or roll dough into a rectangle, about ¼-inch thick. Neaten up the edges with your hands. Slide the parchment and dough onto a baking sheet, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, with a rack placed on top-third of the oven. Using a large chef’s knife, cut dough into rectangles measuring about 1 inch wide by 2 inches long. (No need to be overly precise, you’re not being judged.) Prick each shortbread with a fork, then sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Scoot the cookies apart leaving at least ½-inch of space between them.
Bake the shortbread for 18-22 minutes, until light golden brown on the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on the baking pan, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Stored in an air-tight container. These are best eaten within four days after baking. (I think they taste best the day after you make them.)
Want to watch a step-by-step video? Check out my reel on Instagram.