Shortbread Cookies – One of my Holiday Traditions
These rich buttery shortbread cookies have become a family tradition.
They're something that I make every year. It's the one cookie that my even my coworkers start asking me for – around Thanksgiving I start getting the questions: “Are you bringing in the shortbread cookies again this year?" Of course I am, because I have to make them, and I can't eat them alone!
I keep saying I'm 'not really a baker,' but here I go again with another something to bake. It just so happens that I started this blogging thing smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, and the holidays always seem to require a lot of baking, so I'm just rolling with it!
This shortbread recipe yields cookies that have just enough flour to hold the butter and sugar in place, and not one pinch more. Shortbread is all about the butter so make sure you use amazingly tasty butter, unsalted of course. I usually use an unsalted European style butter in this recipe; European butter has a higher butterfat content than regular “American” butter, and also a more complex flavor due to mild fermentation that occurs in the production process. It makes the difference between good versus awesome shortbread cookies!
Other Cookie Recipes
- Fluer de sel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cascade Beach Chocolate Cookies
- Compost Cookies
- Pecan Finger
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Chocolate Dipped Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 vanilla bean, scraping from inside preferably Tahitian
- 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
Other Variations
- turbinado sugar roll exterior of logs before refrigerating
- 24 oz chocolate chips dark or bittersweet
Instructions
Cookies
- Combine butter, sugar and salt, and cream on medium speed until blended, about 2 minutes.
- Add egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each addition until incorporated.
- Add the vanilla extract and the scrapings of the vanilla bean. Scrape down the bowl.
- Turn the mixer off and add the flour. Turn the machine to low and mix until the flour is completely incorporated.
- Remove the dough from the bowl. Working on parchment or wax paper, form dough into 4 logs, each 10 inches long and 1 ¼ inches in diameter (roll logs in turbinado sugar at this time, if using). Wrap in plastic wrap and chill overnight (or at least 4 hours).
- Slice logs into ¼ inch slices. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 325℉, 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Chocolate
- Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Alternatively you can melt chips in the microwave: Microwave on high for 2 min, stir, then microwave 1 min at a time until thoroughly melted.
- Dip one end of the cooled cookies in chocolate. Set on wax or parchment paper and let chocolate harden.
