Roast banana brown butter shortbread

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Our holiday has nearly finished! Tomorrow we fly back to New York. I'm a little bummed its over, but I can't wait to get back! I've missed making food, and I have so many exciting collabs coming up that I can't wait to share! 

This is a recipe that I came up with a couple of months ago. It took a whole load of tweaking until I was finally happy with it, but I can happily say that it tastes awesome (well, I think so anyway!). 

Brown Butter would have to be one of my favourite things. I love how applicable it is to so many dishes, and how it adds an extra level of complexity to the flavour profile. I add it to almost everything I can, and this was no exception. The nuttiness in the brown butter pairs beautifully with the caramelised banana, and the whole thing is topped off with a brown butter based glaze.

I adapted my Great Grandmothers shortbread recipe to accommodate the banana and brown butter. It still loosely follows the 3:2:1 butter:sugar:flour ratio of traditional shortbread, but because of the banana it is slightly softer and less dry. Ideally it should be left in the oven to dry out for an hour or two to help it go a little more crunchy. 

I like to use an oblong tart tin with a removable bottom that is approx 13 3/4"  4 1/4". This makes removing the shortbread before you glaze it really easy. If you don't have one of these, you can use a cake tin, just make sure that you line it well so that you are able to use the paper to remove the shortbread from the tin. 

Feel free to decorate this any way you please! My absolute favourite way is with dried edible flowers, but it would look great plain, or with some simple sprinkles or dusted with icing sugar. Go nuts! (Or Bananas. Really I mean, go bananas)

 

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ROAST BANANA BROWN BUTTER SHORTBREAD
- Makes 8-12 pieces -

Shortbread
1 stick plus 1 tbsp butter (113g plus 15 grams)
2/3 cup brown sugar (135 grams), plus two tablespoons, loosely packed. 
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large bananas
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups minus 2 Tbsp flour (235g) 
2 Tbsp (15g) cornflour

Glaze
1/2 stick butter (56g)
1 cup icing sugar (125g)
1 tsp vanilla (preferably paste, otherwise extract is fine)
Approx. 2 Tbsp Milk (30ml)

- PROCESS -

SHORTBREAD

Preheat oven to 375f/190c. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Halve the bananas lengthways, and place onto the lined tray. Divide the 1 Tbsp of butter between the bananas, and sprinkle with the 2 Tbsp brown sugar. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the skins are black. Remove from oven, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350f/180c.

While the bananas are roasting, in a small saucepan, melt the remaining stick of butter on medium heat. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until it turns a golden brown. Keep a close eye on the butter, as it can turn quite quickly from deliciously brown, to slightly burnt. Set aside to cool slightly. 

Scoop the flesh from the bananas into a medium bowl. Mash well with a fork, until fairly smooth. Add brown sugar and mix well. Add brown butter, vanilla extract and salt, and mix again to combine. Sift in flour and cornflour, and mix until incorporated. The mixture will look much wetter than standard shortbread dough. 

Grease a 13" x 4" oblong tart tin with a removable bottom, or alternatively line an 8"x8" cake tin with baking paper, leaving some overhang over the edges to allow easy removal. Spread the mixture into the prepared tin. Wet the back of a spoon if necessary to help you smooth down the mixture. 

Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Turn off the oven, and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Leave the shortbread in the oven for 30 minutes to an hour. Remove from the oven and cool completely. 

BROWN BUTTER GLAZE

Brown butter using the above method. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, and add sifted icing sugar and vanilla. Mix well until smooth, adding milk as necessary until a spreadable consistency has been reached. Spread over the cooled shortbread, and decorate as desired. Allow the glaze to set (putting it in the fridge speeds this up) before slicing into equal sized pieces. Keeps best in an airtight container, in the fridge.