Maple Sweet Potato Shortbread

Fannie Farmer, she’s was one smart cookie! And in New England, she was THE Julia Child that home cooks would turn to for recipes. Her book, The Boston Cooking School Cook Book, set her into fame and introduced her readers to measuring cups and spoons, thus her baked goods recipes are some of our favorites to make at home. The recipes are simple, with easy to source ingredients and always turn out to be so satisfying. And it’s from her book that we adapted this recipe for shortbread!

One of my favorite books related to Fannie Farmer is “Fannie’s Last Supper” by Chris Kimball of America’s Test Kitchen. It’s described perfectly on the site as “Iron Chef meets 1900 House in Chris Kimball’s recreation of a 12-course Christmas dinner originally hosted by Fannie Farmer in 1896″. They’ll source the same ingredients, cook in the same age-old stove Fannie did, and re-enact the service of those times. Be sure to grab a copy if the combination of food and history, specially of New England, interests you.

These Maple Sweet Potato Shortbreads are adapted from her basic Shortbread recipe and I used some Coombs Family Farms Maple Sugar, which has become one of my favorite baking ingredients this year. Its well-rounded sweetness with a hint of natural spice makes it a great sweetener in baked goods, as well as coffee and even marinades. The few ingredients in this recipe makes it great for last minute menu additions and they’re great for breakfast with jam and coffee, for lunch as a dipping vehicle in your soup, and even for dinner as a substitute for a dinner roll!

Maple Sweet Potato Shortbread

Delicious when served with your favorite local jam or slathered with goat cheese. We loved eating them alongside soup as well!

Print Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes mins

Cook Time:20 minutes mins

Total Time:35 minutes mins

Ingredients

• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup sweet potato flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ tablespoon maple sugar
• ¼ cup unsalted butter 1/2 stick frozen
• ½ cup whole milk

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425F.
• Whisk the dry ingredients together. Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients.
• Incorporate until texture is coarse with large sized pieces of butter still in the mix.
• Drizzle in milk and knead until it becomes a homogenous dough.
• Using either your hands or rolling, flatten to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into squares using a chef's knife and place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden around the edges.
• Serve piping hot with butter and maple syrup.

Servings: 10