Apple and Carrot Shortbread

After the tasty mess I made with the Lemon Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies, I decided I should try to make a shortbread that was more... aesthetically pleasing. I saw these Apple and Carrot Shortbread Cookies over at 101 Cookbooks a while ago and had added the recipe to my "to bake" list.
The little cookies were definitely not your typical shortbread, but my are they a delicious (and healthy-ish!) alternative. The apple and carrot make a delightful combination, and you still get that yummy buttery flavor present in all shortbreads, but they are softer than your standard shortbread. They would also be great with a bit of turbinado sugar sprinkled over each cookie prior to baking!

Apple and Carrot Shortbread

recipe from here

ingredients:

• 2 ounces semolina flour
• 6 ounces whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 1/2 ounces brown sugar
• 2 ounces carrot, grated
• 1 ounce apple, grated
• zest of one lemon
• milk, for brushing cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the semolina flour, pastry flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Stir the carrot, apple, and lemon zest into the flour mixture until evenly dispersed.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture with the speed set to the lowest setting. Mix until just combined.
6. Scrape the dough out onto a clean surface and knead a couple of times so that everything comes together. Halve the dough and flatten each piece into a thick patty. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.
7. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Use sharp cookie cutters to stamp out cookies and place them on the baking sheet.
8. Brush each cooking with a bit of milk and bake for around 10 minutes (mine baked for 11 minutes) or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden. Cool cookies on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire baking rack for further cooling.