2 tb Paprika
2 1/2 ts Coarse salt
1 1/8 ts Cayenne
7 tb Unsalted butter, softened
2 tb Sugar
1 c All-purpose flour
1 ts Curry powder
1/2 ts Ground cumin
Preheat oven to 350 deg F In a small bowl, whisk together paprika, 2
ts salt, and 1 ts cayenne and set aside. In a bowl with an electric
mixer, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. In another
bowl, whisk together remaining 1/2 ts salt, remaining 1/8 ts cayenne,
flour, curry powder, and cumin. Beat flour mixture into butter
mixture until just combined. On a lightly floured surface, knead
dough about 8 times, or until it just comes together. Divide dough
into 4 equal pieces. On a sheet of wax paper, roll each piece of
dough into a 3/4-inch thick log. Sprinkle one quarter of spice
mixture along the length of each log and roll in mixture to coat
completely. Wrap each log in wax paper. Freeze dough just until firm,
15 to 20 minutes. Shortbread dough may be made 1 week ahead and
frozen. Before proceeding with recipe, remove dough from freezer and
let stand about 15 minutes, or until slightly softened to facilitate
slicing. Remove logs carefully from wax paper and slice into 1/2-inch
thick rounds. Place rounds 1/4-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets
and bake in batches in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until browned
lightly. Gently loosen shortbread bites with a spatula from baking
sheet (do not remove from sheet) and cool completely. Carefully
transfer shortbread bites to a serving dish (they will be fragile)
and serve as hors d’oeuvre. Makes about 140 shortbread bites.
Yields
140 Servings