Yield Makes 18 cookies
Cardamom Vanilla Bean Shortbread
I love shortbread, it is one of my all time favorite cookies and not only do I love eating them, I love gifting them to others too. These are scented and flavored with exotic cardamom and vanilla bean paste. I love to see the little flecks of both in the cookie dough as it makes a lovely impact. I also love dressing these in sparkling white sanding sugar for a bit of glimmer and a crunchy texture, this is an optional step, however, it makes these all the more elegant. Since there are only a few ingredients, use the best butter, cardamom and vanilla bean paste that you can. You can also use any size cutter that you prefer, for these I used a 2” square cookie cutter which will yield about 18, a dozen and a half. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom and salt, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste and mix on low until incorporated, about 1 more minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the dry ingredients slowly on low speed, mix until no streaks of flour remain, scrape down sides of bowl once more. The dough will appear crumbly, it will come together. If needed, use your hands. Remove the bowl and turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gather into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in a plastic bag and chill overnight in the refrigerator.
- Next day and when ready to bake, remove the dough and set it on the counter about 15 to 20 minutes so the dough will soften and be easier to roll out. Line a standard rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper and place it nearby. Lightly sprinkle your work surface or pastry board with flour and roll out the dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness. Using your preferred cookie cutter, stamp out as many cookies as you can. Roll out the scraps once more to yield a few more cookies. Place them on the sheet pan and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- While the cookies are chilling, arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Place the sanding sugar in a small bowl to decorate the cookies. Before baking, turn each cookie upside down and press into the sanding sugar then place them back on the sheet pan one inch apart.
- Bake until slightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes. Cookies will store in an airtight container for about 3 days at room temperature. Enjoy!