Summer Goodness!!!

These cookies are great, buttered goodness.  They are a bit on the crumbly side with the almond flour, but it adds such a great texture.  The tarragon is perfect with lemon, and the healthier cookie.

Almond Shortbread:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (With
Shortbread cookies, I think it is a time to splurge on butter)

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup almond flour (almond meal)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar  until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl,  whisk together the whole wheat flour, almond flour, cornstarch and salt.  Add this mixture to the butter and sugar and beat just until incorporated.

Scrape batter out onto a sheet of parchment and form a log.  Refrigerate for one hour, and then slice into ¼ inch slices and place on a cookie sheet.  I made a well in the center of each cookie, using the screw top bottle. Put the cookie sheet back in the refrigerator to cool back down for 10 -15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300, and slide the cookies into the preheated oven.  Bake them for about 35-45 minutes, until they are golden brown.  Once they come out of the oven I used the screw top again to reform the well.  Allow cookies to cool completely before filling, I would also recommend filling the cookies with the lemon filling the same day you will serve them which keeps the cookie from losing its great crumble texture.  I used some toasted almonds as garnish on some cookies and powdered sugar on others.

Lemon Tarragon Filling:

Juice & grated zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1 eggs

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons tarragon, chopped fine

Combine all ingredients in a double boiler on stove. Simmer until thickened stirring constantly, about 15 minutes or 140 degrees.  Remove from heat and stir in the tarragon,
put in the refrigerator to chill.