Buttery Vanilla Shortbread Cookies – These lovely variations on traditional Breton shortbread are so soft and tender they literally melt in your mouth. These buttery vanilla shortbread cookies are definitely hard to beat with a cup of coffee, tea or topped with berries or ice-cream!
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Ingredients list for the Buttery Vanilla Shortbread Cookies
- 4/5 cup (80g) blond cane sugar
- 6 tablespoons (80g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 1/3 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 small fresh vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Directions
1. To make the buttery vanilla shortbread cookies: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar and softened butter—you can do this by hand in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds and add them to the sugar and butter. Beat the sugar and butter at low speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and beat for 2 minutes.
2. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the dough and mix at low speed for a few seconds. The dough should be quite soft.
3. Arrange eight 3-inch (8 cm) pastry rings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and divide the dough evenly among them. Press the dough into an even layer with the tips of your moistened fingers. Cover loosely with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 360°F(180°C).
5. Bake the shortbread cookies for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack for 20 minutes before loosening and cautiously removing the sides of the pastry rings. Let the buttery vanilla shortbread cookies cool completely before serving. Keep for 1 week into a metal box.
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
