Shortbread (grain-free : primal : gluten-free)

I love shortbread.  Buttery, crispy and mildly sweet, it is my favorite cookie these days.  I enjoy it for breakfast, for a snack, alongside a square of dark chocolate, even as a crust for a pumpkin pie clafoutis. I bet it would be good dipped in coffee or hot cocoa, too.

I've been working on this shortbread recipe for a couple months, trying to get just the right texture and flavor.  It's been a tough job eating a batch of shortbread every week, but somebody had to do it.

Shortbread
Serves 8-10

• 1 & 1/4 cups (2 & 1/2 sticks) softened butter, plus a bit more for greasing the baking dish
• 2 Tb mild-flavored honey*
• 2 Tb Grade B maple syrup
• 1 egg yolk (preferably from pastured hens)
• 1 cup arrowroot starch flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 2 Tb ground crispy pecans or almonds (or use almond meal)
• 1/4 tsp fine-ground Celtic sea salt
• optional equipment: stand mixer, pouring shield or clean kitchen towel 

1. In a medium bowl, combine the arrowroot, coconut flour, ground nuts, and salt.  Whisk it all together.  Beware, the very fine arrowroot has a tendency to poof out a bit if you whisk too vigorously.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  
3. Butter your baking dish.  I like to cook the shortbread in a 9-inch glass pie plate; a square 8-inch glass dish would work too.  Just make sure there is enough room to spread the batter out to about 1-inch thick or so.
4. Beat the softened butter until it is light and fluffy.  I like to use my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer to put this recipe together, but you could also use a regular hand mixer.
5. Add the honey and maple syrup to the butter and beat until well-incorporated.  If you are using a stand mixer, use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix a bit more to make sure everything is mixed well.
6. Add the egg yolk and beat until fully incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more and mix a bit more.
7. If you are using a stand mixer, put on the pouring shield (or maybe loosely cover over the whole machine with a clean kitchen towel, but make sure it doesn't get caught up in the spinning action). If you are using a hand mixer, cover over part of your bowl with a clean kitchen towel (making sure not to catch the towel in the mixer). The reason for covering the bowl with the pouring shield or towel is that the fine texture of the arrowroot can make it go airborne while it is being mixed into the wet ingredients.
8. With the mixer running, pour in the dry ingredients.  Mix until thoroughly combined. 
9. Use a silicone spatula to spread the batter evenly into the greased baking dish.    
10. Bake the shortbread for 22-30 minutes at 325 degrees F.  It is done when the edges are nicely browned and the center is fully cooked and not too wet-looking.
11. Cool to room temperature before cutting.  Cut into wedges and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge.

*If you are using raw honey and it is very crystallized (to where it is no longer pourable), make sure you warm the honey over a bowl of warm water before adding it to the recipe.