👩🍳 Instructions
- Prepare dough:
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix well.
- Gradually add dry ingredients until dough forms.
- Chill:
- Divide dough into two equal parts.
- Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour (easier to grate when firm).
- Assemble:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Butter and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment.
- Grate half of the chilled dough with a box grater directly into the pan (this makes the base tender).
- Spread jam evenly over the dough layer.
- Grate the remaining dough over the top.
- Bake:
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden.
- Cool completely.
- Finish:
- Dust generously with powdered sugar.
- Cut into squares or diamonds.
✨ Tips:
- Apricot jam is most traditional, but raspberry or plum jam also work beautifully.
- For a holiday version, add a pinch of cinnamon or ground walnuts to the dough.
- The grating technique gives it that light, crumbly texture Hungarians love.
Would you like me to also share the Gerbeaud-style Hungarian shortbread (Zserbó szelet)? That’s the famous layered version with walnut filling and chocolate glaze.