The Christmas shortcrust pastry is a variant of the classic shortcrust pastry characterized by the presence of almond flour and citrus fruits that give it a spectacular aromatic taste.
The presence of the whole egg makes the pastry slightly more elastic, so it is perfect for making Christmas cookies but also for making pies and tartlets in micro-perforated or classic molds. The recipe I propose is a variant of Barralis’s almond sablée prepared using the “sanding” method to obtain a very crumbly finished product.
To prepare the Christmas shortcrust pastry you need almond flour; if you don’t have it at home, you can easily make it at home by following my tutorial “how to make almond flour at home”; for a more intense taste, you can use toasted almonds.
The characteristic of the sablée is to have at least 50% butter compared to the weight of the flour; it is therefore a perfect base for making fine and buttery cookies, ideal for giving as gifts at Christmas.
I leave you other variants to try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: for 590 g of shortcrust pastry
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Christmas
Ingredients
I flavored the pastry with vanilla and citrus, if you like you can add half a teaspoon of ginger or cinnamon powder.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup eggs (whole, about 1 whole egg)
- orange zest (grated, need the zest of a quarter of an orange)
- lemon zest (grated, need the zest of half a lemon)
- tangerine zest (grated, need the zest of a tangerine)
- Half pod vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Tools
- 1 Stand mixer
- 1 Scale
- 1 Grater
- Plastic wrap
Procedure
To prepare the Christmas pastry, the butter must be around 50°F, so leave it at room temperature for 10/15 minutes before using it.
The taste of this pastry is very citrusy, I did not add spices because not everyone likes them, but you can easily add half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder along with a pinch of cloves or some ginger.
Put the flour, almond flour, and butter cut into small cubes in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Work the mixture at medium speed until you get many small crumbs.
Turn off the mixer, add the powdered sugar, salt, orange zest, lemon zest, tangerine zest, and the seeds of the vanilla pod, mix, then add the egg, and quickly knead everything just long enough to combine the ingredients.
Pour the mixture onto the work surface and quickly work it until you get a smooth dough.
Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to rest for 1 hour.The Christmas shortcrust pastry is ready.
You can knead the pastry by hand or in a stand mixer, choose the method you prefer.
If you knead the pastry by hand, be careful with the sanding process because your hands will heat the butter quickly, so you will need to work the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and butter rapidly.
Follow the exact same steps kneading the pastry in a large bowl.
After the rest, take the pastry and work it on the pastry board or in a stand mixer for 1 minute, this operation will help you achieve a homogeneous and plastic dough perfect for creating your recipes.
The pastry can be used to make cookies, tartlets, and pies, each preparation will have a different cooking time depending on the thickness.
How to prepare Christmas cookies
Roll out the well-chilled pastry to a thickness of 1/8 inch and cut out the desired shapes. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, let them cool well in the fridge, and bake in a preheated static oven for about 12/15 minutes, depending on the power of your oven.
If you want to make paired cookies like the coconut and Nutella cookies, roll the pastry to a thickness of 1/8 inch and bake them a few minutes less.
How to make pies and tartlets:
The baking times for the pie vary depending on the thickness of the pastry and the filling you have chosen.
If you want to prepare a pastry shell to fill later, it will take about 20/25 minutes at 350°F (for a thickness of 1/8 inch).
If you want to make empty tartlets, 12 minutes at 350°F (for a thickness of 1/8 inch) will be sufficient.
Tips
Storage
The Christmas shortcrust pastry can be stored in the refrigerator, well sealed, for 15 days if you have used fresh butter and eggs.
It can be frozen for 2 months.
***********************
For advice on making the recipes, contact me on FACEBOOK and, if you wish, follow me on INSTAGRAM
Send me your photos, I will gladly publish them on my social media
For advice on making the recipes, contact me on FACEBOOK and, if you wish, follow me on INSTAGRAM
Send me your photos, I will gladly publish them on my social media
