La Fée Verte Olive Oil Shortbread

I wanted a little something sweet tonight, but I didn't want it badly enough to get dressed and go to the grocery store. My problem: I had no butter. Sugar, yes. Flour, yes. Butter, no. Argh!

 

So, I decided to experiment with an olive oil shortbread. I called it "La Fée Verte" because it has a splash of absinthe and a sprinkling of fennel pollen. This was easy to make - 7 ingredients in all, about 2 minutes active time, 50 minutes of baking, and 20 minutes of cooling. So, in your hand in less than 75 minutes. Awesome!

Ingredients

• 3 C white whole wheat flour
• 1 C organic powdered sugar
• 1/4 C organic granulated sugar
• 1 T absinthe
• 1/4 t fennel pollen
• 1/2 t fleur de sel
• 1 C olive oil

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, absinthe, fennel pollen, and fleur de sel. Pour in the olive oil and stir until the dry mixture is completely incorporated into a cohesive ball.

Transfer the dough to a 10" round baking dish. My stoneware didn't require greasing, but you might want to grease your dish first. Use your fingers to press the dough into an even layer. Prick the surface of the dough all over with a fork; I also cut score marks for the wedges. 

Bake until the surface feels firm to the touch and is slightly golden around the edges, approximately 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven, re-score the shortbread, and let cool for 20 minutes. 

Using a very sharp knife, slice the shortbread into the wedges. Let cool completely before removing from the pan.