Sunday Recipe: Celia Wakefield's Customizable Shortbread Cookies

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's Labor Day weekend, which means, perhaps, bringing a little something along to a cookout. And of course, it marks the beginning of the fall season: everything starting back up at church, resuming your book club or your volunteer group, getting together with friends after a summer spent enjoying the outdoors (New England and the PNW) or hiding from the heat and fire-ash (everybody else.) What do you need to bring in hand to all these events? How about some delicious cookies made from Celia Wakefield's recipe?

 

 

Good morning Reds and readers, friends all, I hope you're having a great Bouchercon and remember if all goes well, ALL the Reds and me too will be at New England Crime Bake. It will be my first mystery con and I look to you to take care of me as I know Julia will be very busy. 

What have I been cooking? I’ve been very jealous of Edith’s tomato crop as I can’t grow anything living as we live in the woods so I am dependent on my local farm stand and I do love tomatoes that taste like tomatoes. I can’t get enough of them at this time of the year and hope the good weather will stretch into September so we can continue to gorge ourselves. Just in case you’re thinking not another tomato recipe, wrong! It was almost a recipe with tomatoes in it but I’ll keep it for another time.

 

Today it’s shortbread, and for those of you with good memories you’re thinking, well she did that back in 2020, not to mention the deconstructed strawberry shortbread summer dessert. But, I’ve been experimenting. Yes, I got brave and like Star Trek went boldly with my baking. 

 

I’m sure many of you know the trouble with a successful dish is that the family and friends want it forever. For example if I ask Victor what would he like for dinner, he’ll reply, ‘A baked potato’. He loves a potato baked well, cut in half and the insides scraped out, mashed, mixed with cheeses, maybe some creme fraiche or feta, a little olive oil or butter or both, s&p, piled back into the shells, anointed well with grated cheese and run under the broiler till a suntan appears on top. So simple, so delicious, so tired of making it.

And I got tired of making shortbread in 2020 when I wasn’t out and about hunting down brands. I tried so many recipes and found nothing really was what I wanted. The pandemic dialed down enough to allow us to go shopping, well masked of course, and I found that Whole Foods had its own brand of shortbread cookies, less expensive than Walkers, of course not as good, but in life we sometimes have to make sacrifices. Also far too sweet, but Victor liked them. Then came the great Global supply chain crisis and again shop shelves were empty or unavailable and still are in some locations. 

Last Christmas I asked for Paul Hollywood’s new book, BAKE. You might ask why, knowing my feelings on baking and whether I’m a star? Not! But who can resist those eyes? And I thought if anyone knew how to make a successful shortbread it was Paul so back into the kitchen I went. Followed his directions, religiously. Mixed carefully, folded by hand gently and was left with a pile of dry crumbs on my parchment paper. I wrapped it all up and bunged it into the fridge while I considered what I might say to Paul should I run across him at Whole Foods. 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of days went by. Finally I was ready for a little research. I dug out three books for help - Mark Bittman’s Baking Book (a gift 2 years ago,) BAKE, and my Readers Digest book on English cooking must have the answer. The recipes were very similar; the only real difference was that Bittman added an egg yolk. So I got out the dough crumbs, threw them into my Ninja bowl with the big scary blade, added an egg, yes a whole egg, and turned it on. Instantly I had a workable dough. Rolled between two sheets of parchment paper, chilled, cut and baked - Success was mine.

Having baked a few batches since then, here’s my recipe and method for Hacked Shortbread. Now part of following your own baking bliss is adding different flavors. I love lemon. I have also added ginger or cardamon spices to my doughs. I think cinnamon would be lovely too around the holidays. Then the tops can be decorated with pieces of crystallized ginger or other dried fruits. I have sprinkled colored sugars over the warm cookies or even a dusting of confectioners sugar would be pretty. This is no family recipe with traditions, make it your own and send me a photo.

 

 

 

 

Assemble ingredients: 

2 sticks softish butter cut into chunks 

2 Cups Flour 

1/2C + 1 Tblsp sugar (I use cane sugar but brown sugar would be interesting too) 

3/4 C cornstarch

Pinch salt 

Food Processor

There it is: five ingredients and now you add the flavor. I chose lemon using a hack going back to my British Butler days when I made cold lemon soufflé by the bucket.

METHOD:  

• Carefully peel strips of the lemon without added the white pith and chop into smaller pieces. Place them in the food processor together with the sugar and pulse until chopped together. It will smell lovely.

   

• Add the butter and pulse to cream with the sugar and lemon. 

   

• Add half the flour and all the cornstarch and pulse to combine. 

   

• Add the remainder of the flour, the salt and half the squeezed lemon (Approximately 1 Tblsp), pulse to mix together. If the dough looks dry add a little more lemon juice and pulse again briefly.

   

• Turn the dough out on to a sheet of parchment, quickly gather into a ball and top with a second sheet of parchment. 

   

• My rolling pin* has measuring rings of different thicknesses which give me an even roll over the entire piece of dough and working between two sheets of parchment means no need for extra flour and less direct handling of the dough.

   

• This is the first roll so the dough doesn’t need to be as thin as in the final one. 

   

• Roll to incorporate all the ingredients then wrap the parchment around the dough, place in a plastic bag and refrigerate. I like to leave the dough for several hours or overnight. 

   

• When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and allow to soften a little before rolling and cutting. I cut mine into cookies. See video, below.

   

• Cut out the cookies and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Place baking sheet in fridge to cool down. 

   

• Gather and wrap dough scraps and refrigerate for a second bake. 

   

• When you are ready to bake set oven to 325F and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The cookies should be pale with a light sunburn around the edges. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy.

   

   

  In response to questions about when or whether to add an egg: So either 

  1 Tblsp.lemon juice or other juice (how would pomegranate go I wonder) 

  OR an egg. Not both, though I don't think it would affect the flavor. If you 

  chose to add the grated lemon and then some lemon essence, you might 

  need the egg yolk. This is where the magic and trust comes in. When is 

  enough liquid enough to bind the mix but not overwhelm it. - If I chose to 

  add an egg I would separate it and start with the yolk and see how the dough 

  felt. Not good if it's too wet.  

*.  My rolling pin came from Food52, but I just checked Amazon and they have a plethora of choices. 

Baking Gluten Free Goodies with Celia Wakefield

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's another delicious pair of recipes from our own Celia Wakefield. She's experimented with cooking for the vegan crowd; today, please enjoy these delicious gluten free baked goods, perfect for everyone avoiding wheat (and having tasted them both, perfect for the rest of us as well!

 

 

 

Yay, it’s my JRW Saturday (because tomorrow is supposed to be Mothers Day OFF). I am  sending my most heartfelt best wishes to all the moms/ mums/grands who keep the world in line and running smoothly - HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Julia, who has the largest heart evah, has invited not only me to join the fun but also my daughter, Olivia, not to be confused with the Maine Millennial and Youngest (my almost granddaughter). We are an intermingled family. To set our stage; Metropolitan Opera HD Saturday and the opera in question, Der Rosenkavalier, a Strauss marathon. Due to my leg hobble (much improved) I had decided to rest up and sent Victor and Julia off for an opera date. My day of R&R was enhanced by Olivia who had come to visit and check that we were behaving as she wished her parents so to do and that’s when the next Julia JRW Sunday bake came up.

I had never heard of celiac disease before we moved to Maine twenty three years ago. But within a few months I had met two families who were struggling to find baked food without gluten that was edible. A lot of spelt flour was in use but that too has traces of gluten. Then about ten years ago Olivia was tested and found she had celiac too. At least I knew what that was and what was involved. Things were improving in the market for the gluten intolerant. 

 

 

 

At first my pantry was stocked with several different flours to mix and match dependent on the GF recipe. I have always been a fan of arrowroot for thickening so leaving flour out of gravy and sauces was not a problem. Though I do think that potato flour works better. In the meantime the mills and large baking companies were working on delicious recipes using the ‘new’ flour which they were selling. 

 

Olivia having made some shifts with her work schedule now had a little time to get back into her kitchen and practice gluten free baking. Our scene was set, here we were on a cold March Saturday, and Olivia was baking for me. In fact for us because Julia was joining us for dinner post opera while the ‘boys’ spent the afternoon with Olivia and me [Ed note: Kingsley and Rocky, my Shih Tzus] getting very spoilt with lots of carrot treats. 

 

Olivia baked her famous GF biscuits for dinner. I say famous because the first time she baked them for us the family was here and as she brought the two dozen or so biscuits from the oven, she remarked that we would need to be quick or G’son #1, might vanish them. And she was right. Victor and I hardly got a bite each! And for dessert she baked these delicious chocolate chip cookies from the website: Gluten-free on a Shoestring.

However Olivia does have a hack for the recipe so I am using her quantities for success here. However I have also added the original recipe website where you can follow the Directions as well as reading Nicole’s comments on GF baking and she has a lot of experience:

Olivia suggests these recipe modifications:

• 3 eggs (versus two)

• 1/2 tsp of baking soda 

• 2 tablespoons of milk 

• 2 tablespoons of vanilla (versus one)

 

Once placed on parchment lined cookie sheets, chill dough in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and then bake (freezing keeps the GF dough from spreading when they cook). 

Here is the Gluten free on a Shoestring recipe:

• Preheat oven 350 degrees

• 2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend 

• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum optional, check the  flour blend

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar

• ¾ cup (164 g) packed light brown sugar

• 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at cool room temperature

• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips plus more as desired, up to 16 ounces total

These cookies are very drop in guest as well as portion control friendly. Bake the amount needed and freeze the rest of the dough in cookie shape. Olivia found  cooking the whole batch was a bit too much, since G’son #2, who keeps to a strict eating plan as he is into sports, would complain that if the cookies were there he would eat them. Olivia started only baking what was needed for a meal. But the added benefit was that when a friend unexpectedly dropped by with her two grade schoolers, Olivia could pull out the frozen cookies and encourage the kids to play baker which was a great success.The dough bakes up quickly (particularly in a countertop oven)

 

 

 

 

I made Olivia’s GF biscuit recipe, from Gluten free on a Shoestring, using King Arthur GF flour with xanthan gum in the mix. Having read Nicole’s baking recommendations a couple of times I wanted to be extra careful as there is nothing worse than a flat biscuit. I was very pleased with the result. So here are my hacks:

Nicole stresses chilling ingredients which work better when baking GF. I planned ahead and put my bowl, measured flour etc in the fridge for an advanced cool down. I also used a scale for accuracy rather than the American cup measure system. I grated a frozen stick of butter and returned it into the fridge too. I preheated the oven before I began the mixing part. I washed my hands in cold water to cool them and did do some of the mixing by hand as I found the butter was clumping. I also had to add more buttermilk as the dough wasn’t coming together as needed. I found the dough stayed cold to my touch so formed the biscuits by hand as I didn’t have an ice cream scoop large enough. Working quickly helped keep the dough cool and then straight into the oven worked. My biscuits baked in 15 minutes.

 

 

Olivia’s Gluten Free biscuit recipe from Gluten free on a shoestring:

• 1 ¾ cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter)

• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it

• ¼ cup (36 g) cornstarch (or try potato starch or arrowroot)

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons (8 g) granulated sugar

• 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter cut into a 1/4-inch dice or grated and chilled

• 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk chilled

• 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter melted

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Ingredient mix technique is on the website and in the videos. 

 

 

Victoria Sponge Sandwich, a Sunday recipe by Celia Wakefield

Julia Spencer-Fleming: It's always a good Sunday when we have a delicious recipe from Honorary Red Celia Wakefield! Today, in honor for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and several June birthdays, she shows us how to make the scrumptious and surprisingly easy English tea-time classic, the Victoria Sponge Sandwich. We have pictures of the process throughout, and at the end, two videos to walk you live through making your own jammy treat.

 

 

Good morning JRW’s all, I am still coming down from a Platinum high not to mention an appearance from my favorite bear, Paddington, named after the station from which I travelled to Cornwall so many times when I was younger. Weekends filled with pomp, ceremony and pure rejoicing are far too few. I hope you all will forgive me for a little nostalgia as I look back seventy years. 

 

 

 

 

Picture me sitting on a splintery wooden floor with a group of other kids listening to the radio marveling at the sounds of HM’s Coronation coming to us via the BBC World Service radio. Why was I not watching television? I was at boarding school in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), there was no TV on the island. The sound of Handel’s magnificent choral anthem, ‘Zakok the priest’, has created lifelong joy for me and whenever I hear it played I must sing along. Victor is six months younger than the Queen so I hold then both close and wish good health to Her Majesty.

 

Artist Eleanor Tomlinson's sketch has been seen worldwide!

 

Debs wrote the previous Sunday wishing that she could have a Victoria sponge sandwich for her Birthday - sending Happy Birthday belated wishes to Debs and to Jenn, and to any other Red with a June birthday. In talking over with Julia what I might make for Sundays treat we decided that a Victoria sandwich was the cake of the week and there was probably one on the table for the Queen’s tea with Paddington. I bet it had marmalade in the center too. 

I reasoned that Victoria sponge had some reference to Queen Victoria, but was most surprised to learn that sponge cakes were first written about in the seventeenth century. “The earliest attested sponge cake recipe in English is found in a book by the English poet Gervase Markham, The English Huswife, Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman (1615)”. There is an interesting comment stating that as most women were not taught to read at that time, books such as these were read principally by the gentry and clergymen. A pleasant change from the volumes of sermons available for ones edification according to Miss Jane Austen. 

 

However thanks to Mr. Alfred Bird, creator of Birds Custard, a much loved dessert confection, we can still eat it today. Mrs Bird was allergic to eggs, a necessary part of custard making, Mr. Bird, a chemist, started experimenting and created baking powder to be added to liquids to thicken them. He was so successful that we are still using Birds custard powder today instead of making that sauce from scratch. And why was it so successful? Well it takes skill not to curdle the custard mix. There are many examples of this on the Great British BakeOff. The inclusion of baking powder into the kitchen made it possible to bake with butter rather than just using egg whites to rise a cake, as volume is the goal. 

Let’s make a Birthday Cake for Debs and the rest of the June birthday folk and check out my skill level. While I wish that I had you all here to celebrate, this is my best attempt with my gracious sous chef, Julia. 

I don’t know when I last attempted a Victoria Sandwich. Tea on my grandparents lawn in the summer and a Victoria sandwich to enjoy after one had filled up on regular sandwiches is a warm childhood memory. Closing my eyes I can see the house front, the very scummy pond that outlined the edge of the property, the daisies in the grass, let’s make a daisy chain. For that careful work one does need a well grown thumb nail.

 

 

The Victoria sandwich cake still reigns supreme, and the reason for this may well be Mary Berry. Most of you may know Mary Berry from The Great British BakeOff. But doing a little research I found she was publishing recipes in magazines as far back as1966 - but I missed her writings. Probably because I was a bit of a food snob in those days reading Elizabeth David, Constance Spry and Robert Carrier, making recipes from the London Sunday Times, not reading ‘womens’ magazines, shame on me. 

 

Just to be clear before I start I am copying both these recipes to give you something for comparison, but the baking skill or lack of same will be mine with Julia as the judge. I am going to use the measures from Mary Berry, as she is using an 8” cake pan, whereas my Constance Spry Cookery Book stipulates a 7” pan. Here are a couple of photos with the older recipe. 

Mary Berry’s Victoria sponge sandwich *

Ingredients

 4 free-range eggs

• 225g/8oz caster sugar, plus a little extra for dusting the finished cake

• 225g/8oz self-raising flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 225g/8oz butter at room temperature, plus a little extra to grease the tins

To serve

•     good-quality strawberry or raspberry jam

•     whipped double cream (optional)

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins*. Use a piece of baking paper to rub a little butter* around the inside of the tins until the sides and base are lightly coated, then line the bottom with a circle of baking (parchment) paper.

    

    

    

2. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, baking powder and (softened)* butter. Mix together until well combined with an electric hand mixer (you can also use a wooden spoon), but be careful not to over mix. Put a damp cloth under your bowl when you’re mixing to stop it moving around. The finished mixture should fall off a spoon easily.

     

3. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins: this doesn’t need to be exact, but you can weigh the filled tins if you want to check. Use a spatula to remove all of the mixture from the bowl and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.

    

4. Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes. *Check them at 20 minutes. The cakes are done when they’re golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. Press them gently to check – they should be springy to the touch. Cool in their tins for 5 minutes. Run a palette or rounded butter knife around the inside edge of the tins and *carefully turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. 

    

5. To assemble the cake, place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with plenty of jam. If you want to, you can spread over whipped cream too. Top with the second cake, top-side up. Sprinkle over the caster sugar / confectioners sugar.

    

    

    

    

    

    

• Celia’s hacks, Look for the * in the text for my comments.

• Plain flour is used in the USA. Self raising flour is harder to find though I believe it may be ordered on line. Just add 2tsp baking powder to each 8 oz of flour used. 1 Cup of flour is equal to 5 oz in weight.

   

• Castor sugar is a finer grade than granulated sugar. I put 8 oz sugar in my mini prep and whirled it until I could see the granules become fine.

   

• I find cake pan sizing most confusing, my pan measures 9” across the top but 8” across the bottom. 

   

• I used the butter paper to carefully smear butter over the base and sides. Then I floured the two pans. It doesn’t say so in the directions but this technique does work. 

   

• I chose the more traditional method by creaming my butter first with an electric mixer. This method both saved time and churned the butter to a lovely pale cream color before I added sugar and eggs. However next time I make this I shall do it all by electric mixer and then blend in the flour using a wooden spoon.

   

• A palette knife has a long flat, flexible blade, very useful in baking.

  

   

• When turning the cakes out run the palette knife or spatula around the edge, then with cover pan with a kitchen towel and turn onto the wire rack. This will avail wire marks on the cake.

My cakes were cooked at 20 minutes.

Mary Berry’s Victoria sponge recipe is from BBC Food.