Apple Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies

A couple of weeks ago I went into a baking overdrive. It was Swedish rye cookies and Carrot and Apple Shortbread cookies from 101recipies.com and two kinds of Jackfruit cakes – one with eggs and one without, all within an afternoon. The cookies were very good, but the Jackfruit cakes, I am still experimenting with. Anyway… the Carrot Apple shortbread cookies were a big hit with the family. The carrots however added only to the look and not the taste, so I decided on making cookies with only apples.
The recipe requires semolina flour and whole wheat pastry flour. I substituted chiroti rava to the semolina and Ashirwad Sharbati atta for the whole wheat flour, since the texture of the Sharbati wheat flour is smoother and softer than mill ground wheat flour. Instead of brown sugar I used grated light jaggery. Thanks to my messy kitchen which has teeny jars of leftovers from previous experiments, I saw the few teaspoons of cinnamon sugar which was previously used in the cinnamon buns. So I flattened out the dough into two rectangles about half an inch thick each and spread a teaspoon of cinnamon sugar on each of the rectangles. I then rolled the dough into tight logs and sealed the edges, covered them in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for about an hour till they were hard enough to be cut. I baked the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes till the cookies browned around the edges. Verdict - yum yum yum. For all the apple pie fans, this is a must bake.







Method:
Ingredients:
¼ cup semolina
1½ cups whole wheat flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup peeled and grated apple
3 tsp cinnamon sugar


1. Sift together the flours, salt and baking powder and keep aside
2. Cream the butter and sugar using a hand mixer or a whisk till smooth and fluffy
3. Add the sifted flour mix and grated apple to this and mix it till it becomes a soft dough and knead for a couple of minutes till the dough comes together in a ball
4. Divide the dough into two and flatten each part into ½ inch thick rectangles either with a rolling pin or with your hands and sprinkle a teaspoon and a half of the cinnamon sugar evenly on each of the rectangles.
5. Roll the rectangle tightly along the longer side and seal the ends so that it forms a log.
6. Cover the logs well in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius. Sprinkle some cornmeal, semolina or flour on a baking tray.
8. Remove the chilled logs from the fridge and cut it into ¼ inch thick slices.
9. Place the baking tray in the oven and reduce the temperature to 180 degree Celsius. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes till they slightly brown at the edges.

Makes about 3 dozen.

To make cinnamon sugar:
Mix 6 tablespoons of castor or very fine sugar with a teaspoon of finely ground cinnamon. Store in an airtight container