I love my Homemade Vanilla Shortbread Wedgesย #shortbread. Whenย I saw this recipe, I made a few small changes adopting it as my own. With a few small changes, this type of cookie has to be my favorite. Let me start at the beginning.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yields: 8 servings
Equipment: Stand Mixer or a hand-held electric mixer, 1 non-stick tart pan with a removable bottom, rimmed baking sheet pan, off-set spatula, mesh sieve with a handle, large mixing bowl
Ingredients:
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) ofย butter, unsalted, plus extra butter to grease tart pan
1 cup of vanilla-flavored granulated sugar (reserve a 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top), substitute granulated sugar
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt
Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint
Directions:
Note: Reserve the butter wrappers.
In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, place room temperature softened butter, vanilla, and granulated sugar. Cream the butter, for a couple of minutes, until all the ingredients are combined.
Next, sift the all-purpose flour and Kosher salt into a bowl. Slowly add the sifted flour to the creamed butter, a little at a time, until all the flour has been added.
The dough is sticky and that’s what you want. Use a removable bottom tart pan. Before I add the shortbread batter to the pan, I use the excess butter that’s on the wrappers to grease the tart pan.
Once it’s combined, transfer the shortbread dough to a buttered tart pan. Using an off-set spatula, spread the dough out using an offset spatula.
Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dough. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, smooth out the dough all over the top and around the sides. Refrigerate the dough for a 1/2 hour.
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
After 30 minutes, remove the plastic wrap. Using a fork, crimp all around the outside edges of the shortbread. Next, sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of the dough. ย I’m using vanilla sugar for the top.
Place the tart pan on top of a rimmed baking sheet pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown.
I like my #shortbreadcookiesย to be on the soft side, so between 20 to 25 minutes is perfect for me. If you prefer a crunchier shortbread, bake for the whole 25 minutes.
When the shortbread cookie is finished baking allow to cool completely. Then remove the bottom of the tart pan and slice into 8 equal slices.
Tip: Once you used the caviar (seeds) from a vanilla pod, don’t throw the pod away. To make vanilla sugar, place a seeded vanilla pod right into your sugar container. Your granulated sugar will be forever be perfumed with vanilla flavor.
Serve theย Homemadeย Vanilla Shortbread Wedgesย with a sprig of fresh mint and a cold glass of milk.