Author Notes
Looking for something a little out of the ordinary for this year's cookie tray? These cookies are subtly spicy, super fragrant, and crumbly and buttery in the way good shortbread should be.
They have a surprising sesame flavor (perhaps from the combination of curry and peanut?) and you might even consider upping the amount of fresh curry leaves if you want something more powerful (or if you're trying to use up a bag of fresh curry leaves).
This recipe is lightly adapted from Indiaphile's Citrus and Curry Leaf Shortbread Cookies. —Sarah Jampel
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Ingredients
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2 cups
all-purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon
sea salt
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1 cup
(2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
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3/4 cup
coconut palm sugar (feel free to substitute another kind of sugar in its place)
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1 tablespoon
grapefruit zest (from 1 large grapefruit)
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1 tablespoon
minced fresh curry leaves
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1/4 teaspoon
ground cardamom
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2 handfuls
roughly chopped salted peanuts
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Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
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In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and the salt.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, grapefruit zest, curry leaves, and cardamom until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
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Reduce speed to low and add slowly add the flour mixture until just incorporated. Add the peanuts and mix for just a couple more seconds so that they're evenly distributed.
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Divide the dough in two and dump each half onto a swathe of plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to form the dough into logs. Put the two logs in the refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up.
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When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silicone mats.
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Slice the logs into 1/4 inch-thick rounds and place the cookies on the baking sheets, separating them by at least 1/2 inch. Sprinkle the tops with demerara sugar, pressing down gently to help it stick.
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Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden around the edges. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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