Raspberry Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

This post and recipe was created for #SummerDessertWeek! I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine.

Why This Recipe Works

The magic of these cookies is that I made them with pure freeze-dried raspberry powder. Using the powder, which is generally sold as a supplement or to add to smoothies, does a few things for this recipe:

1. Since it doesn’t contain any liquid, raspberry powder provides a punch of raspberry flavor without making the cookie tough. So you get a true, crumbly and sandy shortbread without sacrificing huge fruit flavor.
2. It makes the cookies a gorgeous color. As you can see from the photos, the powder truly makes a stunning cookie. They even look a bit like macarons to me, but they are pure raspberry-butter goodness.
3. Experiment with other freeze-dried fruit powders to make your favorite fruit flavored shortbread.
4. They’re filled with Nutella, so if you think raspberry-chocolate-hazelnut sounds like a dreamy combination, these shortbread sandwich cookies are for you. If you don’t like Nutella, you can leave them as plain cookies, or consider sandwiching them together with some dark chocolate ganache.
5. This is an easy-to-make recipe that only contains 6 ingredients.

How to Make Them

Like most shortbread, you really need minimal equipment and ingredients to make them. Here’s the rundown:

Ingredients

• salted butter: Use the best quality salted butter you can find. I used a salted cultured butter from Vermont Creamery. Other good choices are Kerry Gold or Plugra. If you don’t want to use salted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt (at least–taste the dough to make sure) per stick of butter.
• powdered sugar: I like the fine texture I get from powdered sugar, but you could also use granulated sugar. You can even consider pulsing granulated sugar in your food processor or blender to make your own powdered sugar.
• freeze-dried raspberry powder: This is the magical ingredient in these cookies. It provides huge raspberry flavor and gorgeous color in an all-natural product.
• cake flour: Since cake flour has a low-protein content, your cookies will stay nice and tender, sandy, and crumbly–exactly what shortbread should be!
• chocolate hazelnut spread: You can use Nutella of course. I used Pernigotti Gianduia, which has a bit more hazelnut flavor than Nutella. Or you can make your own spread. For instance, I have this recipe for cocoa cashew spread that would be lovely. Check out my Nutella comparison post to get the lowdown on several different brands you might consider, as well.

Procedure

These cookies are not hard to make at all. Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Cream the salted butter and powdered sugar together until smooth.
2. Blend in the raspberry powder and vanilla until evenly incorporated.
3. Add the flour and mix in on low speed until you get a shockingly pink, slightly sticky but stiff dough.
4. Divide the dough into 2 discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for an hour.
5. Working with 1/2 of the dough at a time, roll out between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it’s about 1/4″ thick.
6. Cut and bake at 325 until dry and set, about 12 minutes. You can reroll the scraps to use as much of the dough as possible.
7. Cool and sandwich the cookies together with chocolate hazelnut spread, ganache, or even raspberry jam.
8. Enjoy!

Tips for Success

This dough starts out a bit soft, so it really is best to refrigerate it for an hour or so before rolling it out.

I have a wonderful set of graduated round cutters that I never want to be without. Not only can I cut all sizes of round cookies, but I can use them as egg rings, cut out pieces of spongecake, use as small ring molds, etc.

I made my cookies using the third from the smallest size in this set of graduated cutters.

Take care not to let the cookies brown. Even just one extra minute can make a difference. They will still taste just as good, but the color won’t be as vibrant.

Raspberry Shortbread Q & A

If you have questions about this post or recipe, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you within about 24 hours.

If your question is more urgent, please shoot me an email, and I will respond within 4 hours, unless I’m asleep.

A Note About Measurements

NOTE: Most of my recipes are written by weight and not volume, even the liquids.

Even though I try to provide you with volume measurements as well, I encourage you to buy a kitchen scale for ease of measuring, accuracy, and consistency.

This is the scale I use, love, and recommend. If you’re unsure, please read my post about how to use a food scale.

Sponsor product used: Dixie Crystals Powdered Sugar

Disclaimer: These posts and recipes are part of the week long event, #SummerDessertWeek but all opinions are 100% mine! We would like Thank our amazing sponsors: Dixie Crystals and Circulon. These wonderful sponsors provided the prize packs for our giveaways and also sent samples and products to the #SummerDessertWeek bloggers to use in their recipes.