These elegant, buttery shortbread cookies are filled with an aromatic roasted strawberry buttercream that highlights one of summer’s best berries.
I still remember my first visit to Paris, twelve years ago. After a long overnight flight I arrived bleary-eyed but exhilarated. We stayed in a tiny hotel tucked between the 2nd and 9th arrondissements. No sooner had we dropped our bags than we were out the door for breakfast. Much about Paris matched my imagination—the breathtaking architecture, the effortless polish of Parisians on their way to work, the irresistible bakeries on every corner. But the city surprised me too: the noise, the scents, and the sheer density of sights kept unfolding around every turn. Our senses were saturated; we were completely smitten.
We made ourselves at home on the Rive Droite and have returned to that neighborhood every time we visit Paris since—once even living there for six months in 2009. Feeling at home in Paris is an intangible treasure for me. The city still feels magical after countless visits. Each stay is too short, and when I go long stretches without visiting I ache for it. Paris is my soul city: I love it, for better or worse.
A close friend feels the same way about Paris and, fortunate for her, has lived there for more than ten years. She found love and a life in the city and has written a book that reads like a love letter to her adoptive home. Lindsey Tramuta, the American writer behind the blog Lost in Cheeseland, has contributed to publications like The New York Times and Condé Nast Traveler. Her new book, The New Paris: The People, Places & Ideas Fueling a Movement, is less a conventional guidebook and more a portrait of what makes contemporary Paris exciting and relevant.
The New Paris is well-researched and elegantly written. It explores creative fields from food to fashion to architecture, and highlights local makers and entrepreneurs who have refreshed the city’s cultural landscape. I’ve watched parts of Paris evolve over the years: tired shops and old-fashioned restaurants have been replaced by carefully designed boutiques, inventive restaurants, third-wave coffee shops, and truly excellent pastry counters. Each return to my favorite neighborhood brings new discoveries. Lindsey’s book explains the forces behind this renaissance and makes a persuasive case for visiting—or revisiting—Paris.
Today’s recipe for Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies with Roasted Strawberry Buttercream was inspired by Bontemps Pâtisserie, a North Marais pastry shop featured in The New Paris. Bontemps elevates shortbread to an art form. While I haven’t yet visited, I’ve developed a version at home that I hope honors their approach.
The hazelnut shortbreads are crisp and buttery on their own, but I sandwich them with a bright roasted strawberry buttercream. The buttercream is luminous: concentrated roasted strawberries make for a deeply flavored, colorful filling that pairs beautifully with hazelnut. I love it so much I plan to freeze portions while strawberries are in season so I can enjoy that flavor year-round. The buttercream also dresses up cakes, cupcakes, or simply spread on toast.
Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies with Roasted Strawberry Buttercream
Buttery hazelnut shortbreads paired with a bright roasted strawberry buttercream that showcases summer berries.
Prep Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: ~30 assembled cookies
Author: Marie Asselin (FoodNouveau.com)
Ingredients
- For the roasted strawberries
- 2 cups (500 ml) hulled and quartered fresh strawberries
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup
- For the hazelnut shortbread cookies
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) ground toasted hazelnuts (about 100 g)
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) whole wheat flour
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- For the buttercream
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) butter, room temperature
- Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) roasted strawberry puree (from recipe below)
- 3 cups (750 ml) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Roast the strawberries: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Toss the hulled and quartered strawberries with maple syrup on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, then transfer the sheet to a rack and let the strawberries cool completely.
- Make the cookie dough: In a bowl, whisk together ground hazelnuts, flours, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the egg yolk and beat until combined. Mix in the flour-hazelnut mixture on low speed until just combined. Form into a ball, divide in two, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and let it rest 15 minutes at room temperature. Roll one portion between two sheets of parchment to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round cookie cutter and transfer rounds to the prepared sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Reroll scraps and repeat with second portion.
- Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, until the edges are a pale golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining sheet.
- Prepare the buttercream: Place the cooled roasted strawberries in a measuring cup and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Measure 1/2 cup (125 ml) puree for the frosting. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and vanilla seeds until creamy. Add the strawberry puree and mix until incorporated. Gradually add powdered sugar on low speed, then beat at medium-high until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Assemble the cookies: Spread a thick layer of buttercream on the underside of one cookie using an offset spatula or pipe mounds of frosting from a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Top with a second cookie and press gently to spread the filling to the edges. Handle carefully—shortbread is tender and crumbly. Repeat to assemble all cookies.
- Store assembled cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within three days.
Recipe credit: Marie Asselin
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Disclosure: I was offered a copy of The New Paris and the opportunity to host a giveaway. As always, companies did not influence my opinions. I only feature books and products I genuinely enjoy.
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