I have a love of lists. Really, I’d be hopelessly lost without them. My grocery lists are organized by where I will find the item in the store. This leaves little room for impulse purchases, but a little bag of buckwheat flour worked its way into my cart last week.
I’ve been meaning to experiment with some gluten free baking, and I am a lover of buckwheat. Hello crapes! Soba noodles, yum.
Shortbread seemed like a good way to go, but the color of buckwheat is not exactly super pretty. Cocoa powder, on the other hand, looks a lot like everything good in the world. I subbed the buckwheat flour for all purpose flour in my favorite chocolate shortbread recipe. That was it, an even swap. It worked like a charm. Gluten free, and if there is any bit of a difference from the original it is maybe a slightly nutty undertone. Lovely, moist, and delicate, they did not last more than a day in our house.
Buckwheat Chocolate Shortbread
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From my Home to Yours.
Download Buckwheat Chocolate Shortbread
1 ½ cups buckwheat flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Sift together the buckwheat, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl.
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar, and beat until satiny. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three additions, stopping to scrap down the sides of the bowl. Do not over mix, and just bring the dough to a crumby state.
Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, and knead until everything comes together. Divide the dough in two equal parts; form each into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 4 hours or more.
Preheat the oven to 350° F, and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Roll dough out until it is about ½ inch thick. Cut into desired shapes, the simpler the better, as they will spread slightly in the oven. Bake for about 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are a little firm to the touch. Let cool slightly on a rack, and enjoy!
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