Another savoury shortbread recipe is on my blog today. It is quite different from a typical shortbread but tastes very good. Without further ado, let me introduce you cured egg yolk shortbread bites with black pepper.
These savoury cookies may sound weird, but they do not sound weird at all. They are a little salty, spicy and just very pleasant to eat. If you are looking for something unique to ad to your cookie platter, give these cured egg yolk shortbread bites a try and you will not be disappointed.
If you are making macarons, meringues or any other egg whites based goodies, this recipe is a great idea to use up leftover egg yolks.
How to make cured egg yolk shortbread bites
My recipe for this fantastic savoury shortbread is so easy, you need only 4 ingredients. No chilling the dough or any fancy process.
TIPS:
- BUTTER: In order to make the best shortbread you need to use the best butter. Not margarine, or any other butter substitute. Real butter at its best. I used salted butter in this recipe. If you can not find salted butter, you can use unsalted but add 1/4 tsp of table salt. The buttery indulgent taste comes from real butter, this is it.
- CURED EGG YOLKS: If you have not tried cured egg yolks before, I highly recommend making them. They add this delicious slightly salty umami flavour to any savoury dish. Just use them as you would use Parmesan cheese and you will be surprised by results. I have a separate recipe on my website for cured egg yolks. Check it out.
- BLACK PEPPER: freshly ground black pepper is the way to go here. It really makes the difference in taste. I have tested this recipe with finely ground black pepper, and shop-bought black pepper and the difference was huge. All my taste testers – all 10 of them said that freshly ground black pepper was the winner.
- FLOUR: As simple as it may be in order to make a good shortbread, you need to use a soft flour. If you did not know flour can be soft, hard or medium.
- Hard flour has a high protein content and has a good ability to form gluten. It is perfect to make bread.
- Soft flour has a low protein content and lower ability to create strong gluten. This flour is also called pastry flour or cake flour. It makes baked goods more flaky than doughy. For any shortbread recipe soft flour is the best option.
- Medium flour, also called AP flour – it is a mix of soft and hard flour and is the most commonly available in supermarkets.
HANDLING THE DOUGH – First I rub butter and flour together until just combined. Then I add grated egg yolks and freshly ground black pepper and quickly rub everything together. The whole secret is not to overwork the dough. Overworked dough means cakey and tough shortbread due to formation of gluten. We do not want it.
THICKESS AND SHAPING: I used mini cupcake pan for shaping these cured egg yolk shortbread bites. I have divided dough into small portions of 30 g each. I pressed each portion of dough into cavity and baked for 25-30 minutes. These shortbread bites need more time as they are quite thick.
What do cured egg yolk shortbread bites taste like?
These savoury bites taste very unique. Cured egg yolks adds a delicate saltines and umami flavour to these shortbread bites. Freshly ground pepper adds a hint of spice and compliments cured egg yolks perfectly. When it comes to the texture, these cookies are buttery and tender. This is due to grated egg yolks that have tenderising property.
How to store cured egg yolk shortbread bites
Store shortbread at room temperature in a cookie jar or a cookie tin. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months. In order to defrost shortbread, just take it out of the freezer and leave it at room temperature for an hour. It defrosts like a charm.
If you are looking for more shortbread recipes, I can recommend you the following:
Miso and brown butter shortbread
Chocolate and chili shortbread
Amaretto and cranberry shortbread
Click this link to see the best shortbread recipes
I hope you will make my recipe and if you do, please leave a comment below and let me know your feedback. You can also find me on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Gab and Gettr. Please say hi and do not forget to tag me in if you make my recipe. I love seeing your creations.
Recipe source – my own
Enjoy!
Cured egg yolk shortbread bites
Savoury, peppery and delicious cured egg yolk shortbread bites.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Please read post above. It includes tips and useful information.
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In a medium bowl add all the butter, grated cured egg yolks and black pepper, rub together until combined for about 3 minutes.
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Add flour and using your fingers rub together until crumbs start to form.
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Make sure you do not knead the dough and you do not overwork the dough. It is important. The longer you work the dough the more gluten develops. It will make your shortbread have a doughy consistency. You do not want it.
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Preheat your oven to 180C fan (356F).
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Divide dough into 30 g portions (I used a kitchen scale for this step). I got 12 shortbread bites from this amount of ingredients.
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Using a small cupcake tin, place each cookie portion to a cupcake cavity and press firmly.
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Bake for about 25-30 minutes.
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When shortbread is ready remove it from oven and let it cool down completely before removing from cupcake tin.