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Un Kurabiyesi, or Turkish Shortbread, is a simple, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie traditionally served with tea in Turkey. Their name simply means “Flour Cookie”. These have been sold in pastry shops and associated with Turkish grandmothers for ages and are still very popular today. They are rolled into logs and sliced, then baked until just barely set. This recipe has been translated from one that used weight as a measurement, so if you have a kitchen scale, use that rather than measuring out by volume.
Ingredients
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup minus 1.5 tablespoon vegetable oil (measure out a 1/2 cup then remove 1.5 tablespoon from this. The 1.5 tablespoon is not used)
3/4 cup powdered sugar (lightly spoon into measuring cups or weigh out 90 grams)
2/3 cup cornstarch (lightly spoon into measuring cups or weigh out 80 grams)
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (lightly spoon into measuring cups or weigh out 400 grams)
extra powdered sugar for garnish
Directions
- In a large bowl, mix butter or margarine, oil, powdered sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in flour until you have a smooth dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 300 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into fourths and roll each section into a thick log, a little thicker than a hot dog. Slice each log into 1-1/2-inch slices. Place slices on prepared baking sheet. Lightly press the tines of a fork into each cookie to leave a subtle design (do not flatten the cookie). Bake 25 to 30 minutes until set but still white (remove from oven before the edges begin to turn golden). Allow to cool thoroughly and, if desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
- Turkish YouTube channel Nefis Yemek Tarifleri offers this short video on the preparation of Un Kurabiyesi. Their recipe is slightly different than mine and it uses wheat starch instead of corn starch, which is difficult to find in North America.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Translated from the French and adapted from a recipe found on La cuisine de Yasemin.