buckwheat shortbread
Buckwheat shortbread is delightfully nutty and magically short. It is also rather delicate, so the biscuits are best if they’re not too thin. The dough is quite fragile, so rather than rolling it, use your cookie cutter to mould each biscuit individually. Or press all of the mixture into a baking tray, and slice into fingers or triangles after cooking (see method).
I love the combination of nutty buckwheat with the deep sweetness of the maple syrup, but when I’m in France I sometimes use one of the superb local artisan honeys sold by Agnès in Cordes market. All of them are wonderful, but above all I love the rich dark ones, such as her robust chestnut or the intriguingly flavoured buckwheat honey.
Buckwheat groats add a delightful texture to the shortbread. If you can’t find toasted ones, simply roast regular buckwheat groats by tossing them around in a dry frying pan for 3–5 minutes until they are golden brown and smell fragrant and nutty.
Serve with some vanilla ice cream (see page 221 of my book).
MAKES ABOUT 25 BISCUITS
110g toasted buckwheat groats (see note above), cooled if necessary
230g buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
230g unsalted butter, softened
110g maple syrup (or honey)
Roughly crush the buckwheat groats in a mortar and pestle, or pulse briefly in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Put them into a mixing bowl with the buckwheat flour and salt and stir together.
Beat the butter and maple syrup together in a food processor. Add the dry ingredients and lightly process until combined.
For shaped biscuits, choose a cookie cutter of around 8cm diameter. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and place your cookie cutter on the parchment in one corner. Take 2 tablespoons of the buckwheat mixture and press it into the mould to create a uniform layer. Remove the mould and repeat with the remaining mixture. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Leave to cool completely on the baking tray.
For fingers or triangle-shaped shortbread, line a 36 x 24cm baking tray with baking parchment and spread the buckwheat mixture to fill the tray, pressing it down firmly. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. While still warm from the oven, use a large knife to score lines marking out your fingers or triangles (first creating squares and then dividing diagonally into two triangles). Leave to cool completely in the baking tray before lifting out the shortbread and carefully breaking it into your chosen shapes.