Ashley Colbourne, Author at BAKED

Honey Walnut and Rosemary Shortbread

February 7, 2019 by Ashley Colbourne 1 Comment

Honey, walnut and rosemary shortbread? Oh yes, we are taking out the traditional shortbread and upping it up a notch.

I have to say that I have the biggest soft spot for shortbread, preferring the handmade sort to any store bought variety. Maybe I’m just a shortbread snob? Its really all about the texture for me and I find the store bought kind… well kinda on the hard side. When you take homemade shortbread and add some interesting flavours to the mix I’m all in. I think that why adding sweet honey, crunchy walnuts and herby rosemary might just make this shortbread a winner.

Want something even a little more different? Try omitting some or all of the coconut sugar and adding a sharp cheddar. We all know honey pairs well with a good strong cheese am I right? I could see this savoury shortbread as the perfect accompaniment to a hearty stew.

Vegan? Be sure to check out these gorgeous floral shortbread cookies by Sophie.

Honey Walnut & Rosemary Shortbread

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Author: Ashley
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Yield: 12-24 1x
Category: Cookies

Description

This is a sweet and savoury take on the classic cookie combining floral honey and herby rosemary.

Scale

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp honey plus more for drizzling
2 cups flour (I used a spelt/ rye blend, but regular flour will work fine)
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup roasted walnuts, chopped
2 tbsp chopped rosemary

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°
In an electric mixer beat the butter and coconut sugar until creamy. Add the honey, flour, coconut flour, rosemary and chopped walnuts. Beat until mixture comes together and forms a soft dough.
Lightly grease and flour a fluted pie pan or any pan of your choosing. Spread the dough down and flatten with your hands until you get an even smooth surface. Prick all all over with a fork or even make an interesting design.
Cook for 25 min or until edges are golden.
Let cool. Finish off with a drizzle of honey.
Will store in an airtight container for 2 weeks.

Notes

This is the type of shortbread where you could omit the coconut sugar for some sharp cheese and turn it into more of a savoury (dinner time) shortbread.

Tutorial Tuesday: Baking with Honey

February 5, 2019 by Ashley Colbourne Leave a Comment

Love honey? Want to substitute other sweeteners with honey? We’ve got you covered for anything you need to know about baking with honey.

Of all the sweeteners, honey can be one of the most natural. So if you’re trying to get away from processed sugar and sweeteners honey is a great alternative. In this tutorial Tuesday we’ve got some great tips and tricks on baking with honey so you have don’t have any mishaps in the kitchen.

Substituting sugar with honey

Remember these simple rules when substituting sugar for honey.

Balance liquid and dry ingredients:
You’ll want to reduce the liquids in the recipe by ¼ of a cup for every cup of honey. For recipes with no liquids or just eggs, add 2 tablespoons of flour for every cup of honey.

Sweetness:
As honey can be sweeter tasting then sugar you might want to reduce the honey to ½ a cup – ¾ of a cup per 1 cup of sugar. All really depends on how much of a sweet tooth you have.

Baking soda:
For each cup of sugar replaced add ¼ teaspoon. It can help with the bitter taste honey can sometimes have when baking.

Expensive honey vs. cheap honey:
If you don’t want to loose the benefits of honey (raw is best) use it more as an accompaniment to your baked goods like drizzling / sauces. Of all the beneficial qualities raw honey carries, heat will destroy them. Its best to use a less expensive pasteurized honey for baking.

Tip:
Add oil to your cup before measuring out honey. No sticky mess!

If you’re vegan, maple syrup makes a great substitute with a few of the same baking rules as above.

Interesting facts? Honey has actually been found in the tombs of Egypt dating over 3000 years old and was still edible! Not too sure I’d be willing to try 3000 year old honey though. Would you?

In the 1800’s honey vendors actually would sport bee beards. Bee beards are made by placing an enclosed queen bee under your chin and allowing the bees to form a cluster. Apparently they are still quite fashionable today as there is a competition held in Ontario, Canada, each year to create the most impressive beard.

Want some honey baking inspiration? Check out these delicious links.

Chocolate Covered Honey Maple Sponge Toffee, from Above

Easy No Knead Honey and Oat Spelt Sourdough

Honey and Oat Cookies.

Citrus Poppy Seed Muffins

Toasted Almond Cream Scones with Lavender Honey Butter

Homemade Honey Graham Crackers

Happy Baking!

Skillet vegan cornbread with herby jalepeno butter

August 30, 2018 by Ashley Colbourne 2 Comments

This hearty skillet vegan cornbread is baked using almond milk, coconut oil, flax seeds and spelt flour for the perfect crumbly texture.

As the weather starts to cool down, the cravings for heartier warming foods start to casually creep in. Before you know it, you’ll be wanting to fill your belly with cinnamon-y apples, pumpkin spice everything, and heartier, stick-to-your-ribs type foods. We’re not ready to jump on to the apple/pumpkin bandwagon yet (soon friends, soon!), but this cozy skillet vegan cornbread with herby jalapeño butter checks a lot of those cooler weather desires. Bookmark it for when the mood strikes.

…

Frozen Tahini and Black Sesame Fudge Two Ways

May 17, 2018 by Ashley Colbourne 1 Comment

These frozen tahini and coconut cream no-bake fudges are the perfect easy cool-down treat for the hot days of summer. Wether you go for the black sesame or the beet sesame they are sure to please the whole gang.

Want a healthy, sugar-free treat that’s perfect for the hot days to come? This frozen black sesame tahini fudge (done two ways) is an easy, healthy indulgence that’s great for sharing.

…