Buttery Vanilla Shortbread Cookies
These melt in your mouth vanilla shortbread cookies are buttery and delightful. This recipe has both granulated and confectioner's sugar for the perfect texture. Easy to make and they store well for cookie boxes.
Servings 50 small cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup [2 sticks or 227 g] unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2/3 cup [130 g] granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup [40 g] confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups [284 g] all-purpose flour
- ½ cup [100 g] sanding sugar or other coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated and confectioners' sugar and salt, and beat again on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg yolks and vanilla, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Then add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Transfer the dough to a workspace and pat the dough into a 4 by 6 in [10 by 15 cm] rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half vertically, so it is now 2 in by 6 in [5 by 15 cm]. Roll and form each half into a log about 2 in [5 cm] wide and 6 or 7 in [15 or 16 cm] long. Place the log on a large piece of plastic, a few inches longer than the log. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of sanding sugar over each side of the log, covering the outside of the dough. Gently press the sugar into the dough with your hands. Wrap the log in the plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C]. Line three sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Sprinkle some more sanding sugar over each side of the log, if desired. Slice the chilled log into ½ in [12 mm] thick rounds. Space the rounds about 2 in [5 cm] apart on the sheet pans. Bake one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the edges are light golden brown but the centers are still pale, 14 to 16 minutes. Move the pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely on the pan. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
If you love shortbread, my multi-color Neapolitan Shortbread is reminiscent of the classic ice cream flavor. Delicious and so beautiful!
Twist Variation: Use one recipe of Vanilla Shortbread and one of Chocolate Shortbread. After shaping in logs, cut each log in half horizontally. Match a vanilla half with a chocolate half, press together, and then roll until the halves bind together. Sprinkle, chill, and bake as directed above.
*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. If I am posting a recipe from another cookbook, I will use whatever gram measure of flour used in that book, which is why you may see a few posts with a different cup measurement.
Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high, which can result in very different outcomes when baking. I’ve found Gold Medal all-purpose unbleached flour to be the best option for many of my recipes; I use it in all the baked goods that don’t use yeast.
*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. If I am posting a recipe from another cookbook, I will use whatever gram measure of flour used in that book, which is why you may see a few posts with a different cup measurement.
Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high, which can result in very different outcomes when baking. I’ve found Gold Medal all-purpose unbleached flour to be the best option for many of my recipes; I use it in all the baked goods that don’t use yeast.