The Hungarian Shortbread

"This Shortbread is one of the yummiest food I have ever tasted and is one of my favorites  Its' crunchy outside texture and its buttery moist jelly-filled texture inside just makes it an extraordinary dessert! This recipe is based on one in Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan (Morrow, 1996)."

Required Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/8 teaspoon salt
200 grams butter, at room temperature 
1 cup caster sugar
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
Mixed Fruit Jam as required

Required Instructions:

1. In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.
2. Cream butter for about 2 minutes or until they are fluffy and creamy in texture. Now add vanilla essence, egg yolk and sugar in it and beat until the mixture is light, which can take for about 4 minutes in time. This process of beating should be done at HIGH speed.  Once all the wet ingredients are mixed properly, we add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, and beat it at the LOW speed. Once the mixture starts taking the crumbling texture, STOP using the electric beater and use your clean hands to bring the mixture together.
3. Note that the mixture won't be so doughy in texture, it would be soft and delicate to handle as it contains high amount of soft butter in it. Don't waste too much time for bringing it together.
4. Make two equal balls and wrap it using separate cling fling and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The dough can rest up to 3 hours only. Once the dough is set, then only we start working with the following instructions.
5. Grease an 8 inch pan with some oil or butter, and preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 180 degree-Celsius. 
6. Take some Jam out of the jar and use the spoon to combine them. Now pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds just to heat it up, so that it can be easily be spread on the dough of the short bread.
7. Now, take out the shortbread from the refrigerator (obviously after 30 minutes), and use one ball of dough to form the lower base of the shortbread. Pat it to form the base and even it out. Now spread the Jam on the top and use another ball to form the above layer. You can use your clean hands, as you will need to pat and even the upper layer out as well.
8. Pop the prepared shortbread in oven and let it bake until it is golden brown.It would take around 25 to 40 minutes. Note that temperature varies in different oven, so time may not be exact accurate.When the upper layer is a bit crunchy in texture and soft in the middle, you take it out, let it rest and cool at room temperature. Cut it in slices and enjoy!

[Source: Recipe from www.saveur.com]