Best Vanilla Shortbread Dough Recipes

SHORTBREAD COOKIES II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in vanilla; add flour and mix well.
• Put through cookie press and form cookies onto baking sheets. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

SHORTBREAD CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour. Transfer dough to a clean work surface; knead gently to form a smooth dough, about 2 minutes. (Mixture will be very crumbly at first, but will come together and form a dough as it's kneaded.), Divide dough in half. Roll each portion between two sheets of waxed paper to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2- to 3-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. If desired, sprinkle with colored sugar., Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

VANILLA SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Whisk the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy. Beat in the vanilla until incorporated.
• Reduce the speed to low and gradually add flour mixture. Beat, scraping the bowl occasionally, until the dough comes together in large clumps.
• Transfer the dough to a gallon-size resealable plastic freezer bag and press into a 1-inch thick, 9 by 5-inch rectangle. The bag is 9 inches wide, so you're pressing the dough to the edges. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut the dough into thirds to form rectangular logs that are 3 inches wide. Cut each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1/2 inch apart.
• Bake one sheet at a time until the edges are browned and the tops are golden, 14 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely on the sheets on wire racks. The shortbread keeps at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.
• Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.

SUGAR-DUSTED VANILLA SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Tip the flour into a food processor. Cut the butter into small pieces and drop them into the bowl, then whizz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, vanilla and egg yolks and whizz to a smooth dough.
• With your hands, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a sausage shape about 25cm/9in long and 5cm/2½in in diameter. Wrap the roll and chill for at least 1 hour. (The roll can be frozen for up to 6 weeks. To use, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for one hour at room temperature so that the dough is soft enough to be sliced into biscuits.)
• Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into slices, each a generous 5mm/¼in thick, then arrange them on the greased baking sheets, spacing the biscuits slightly apart so they have a bit of room to spread as they cook.
• Bake for 20 minutes until the biscuits are just turning pale golden around the edges, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Dust generously with icing sugar. The biscuits will keep fresh for up to one week stored in an airtight tin.