Dorie’s Hungarian Shortbread Bars

trustworthy food friends

It’s hard to believe we’re only seven days into summer when so much has already happened. One item on my personal (heartbreaking/uplifting/never-ending) list has been supporting a loved one through some health issues. As challenging as it’s been, one bright spot has been the several friends we’re lucky to have who work in health care. They’ve been a phone call away through it all, and have reliably offered the sort of invaluable insight and support you can only get from an insider.

I mention all this in solidarity (because I know many of you are working through your own difficult days), but also because I want you to see me as a trustworthy food friend you can turn to. Inspired by the great Kristen Miglore and her Genius Recipes, I’d like to help you wade through the overabundance of recipes out there. I plan to share some of my personal bangers! I’m picking from among the hundreds of reliable, well-tested recipes written by the brilliant cooks that I’ve been turning to for over 20 years. I think you’ll come to rely on these recipes too because they always work.

Please let me know if there’s a particular dish you’d like a great recipe for, and I’ll see what I can do!

This week I’m sharing a recipe for Hungarian Shortbread Bars, originally written by the one, the only Dorie Greenspan in Baking with Julia. (Be sure to check out her Substack, XOXODorie too!) This might not be the only recipe you’ll ever need for jam-filled shortbread bars…but actually, it is. Trust me. This recipe is wonderfully comforting, yet it always feels special. And in my experience people sincerely love these cookies. They're simple to make and leave a lasting impression.

With all the vibrant summer fruits coming into season, you’re sure to have plenty of options when choosing your jam pairing. We used Blueberry Verjus jam, made by my friend Saba Parsa, because I think the visual contrast of the dark jam is especially lovely here, but you do you — whether that means making your own jam or using a favorite store-bought one. This recipe is a year-round star, adapting beautifully to whatever you have on hand.

Find the full recipe below, with a couple notes we’ve added to help ensure your success!

Dorie’s Hungarian Shortbread Bars

Makes 12-24 bars

• 4 cups (540 grams) all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 4 sticks (1 pound/454 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 4 large egg yolks

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• about 1 to 1 1/4 cup (240 to 300 grams) jam

• Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Making the dough

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand-held mixer), beat the butter on high speed until it is pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and sugar and beat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is light. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until the ingredients are incorporated.

Chilling the dough

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and cut in half.* Shape each half into a ball and wrap each ball in parchment or plastic. Freeze the dough for about 30 minutes, until firm. You can freeze the dough, tightly wrapped, for up to a month at this point. Thaw overnight, still wrapped, in the refrigerator.

*Note: I usually eyeball things here, but if you want your top and bottom layers to be perfectly even, use a scale to ensure the two dough balls are of equal weight.

Assembling & Baking

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Note: Prep the pan by coating it with non-stick baking spray. Line it with a piece of parchment paper long enough to hang over two sides of the pan, then coat the parchment with non-stick baking spray. The parchment creates “handles” so you can easily lift the shortbread out of the pan once it has cooked and cooled.

Remove one ball of dough from the freezer and, using the side of a box grater with the largest holes, grate the dough into a 9- by 12-inch baking pan. Pat the dough gently just to get it into the corners (you don’t want to press it down) and spread with the jam. Grate the remaining dough over the jam and press it lightly to distribute evenly. Bake the shortbread for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

The eagle-eyed among you will notice the lack of parchment paper here — please learn from my mistake! These cookies were a nightmare to get out of the pan because we forgot the parchment! Credits: Robbie Jeanne (all images) & Amalia Mariño (food styling)

As soon as you remove the pan from the oven, dust the top of the shortbread heavily with confectioner’s sugar.* Cool to room temperature on a rack.

*Note: The confectioner's sugar will absorb into the hot, buttery shortbread at this point. Which is good, because it's kind of another layer. However, once it cools completely, you may want to dust it with confectioner's sugar a second time so it looks pretty and white.

Cut the shortbread into bars when it's cool. You can cut whatever size bars please you, although, as a rough guide, 3-inch squares or rectangles 1½ inches by 3 inches make nice servings.

Storing

Covered at room temperature, the shortbread will keep for about 2 days. It can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to a month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

Happy cooking, my friends!

P.S. Today NYT Cooking published a first peek at some of my favorite recipes from GOOD THINGS, along with a Cooking 101 Video. These salad dressings that have become my go-tos over the last few years, and I hope they become yours, too! If you don’t already have a subscription to NYT Cooking, here’s a free gift link for you!