Fudged Espresso Shortbread

by Ursula Ferrigno, featured in Dolci Italiani

Published by Ryland, Peters & Small

Print me

Introduction

A glorious combination of chocolate and walnuts that couples beautifully with the bitter coffee. Using maple syrup gives a lovely fudgey texture.

Makes: 16

Fudged Espresso Shortbread is a guest recipe by Ursula Ferrigno so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

You will need a 23-cm/9-inch square cake pan, greased and lined.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until pale. Fold in the flour, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Press into the pan, smooth the surface, prick with a fork and freeze for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the walnuts for the topping in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Leave to cool, then roughly chop and set aside.
Bake the shortbread for 20 minutes until golden.
For the topping, melt the butter in a pan, then simmer for 3 minutes until the white solids turn golden and it smells toasty. Take the pan off the heat, then whisk in the remaining topping ingredients and stir in the toasted nuts. Pour onto the hot shortbread and bake for a further 30 minutes until risen and set. Leave to cool completely in the pan.
To decorate, melt the chocolate and oil in the microwave or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Drizzle over the bake (there will be some leftover) and transfer to the fridge briefly for the chocolate to set, before cutting into bars or squares as preferred.