Vanilla Bean and Bourbon infused short-dough is a thing of beauty. Try these delectable Bourbon Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies. Fun to make and give!
Hey! Hey, y’all! How’s your week going?
It’s one week until Christmas. Are you ready? No pressure, just checkin’ in.
I’m ready! Rob and I keep Christmas pretty simple. Years ago we started exchanging and giving experiences, a few gift cards and/or homemade fare for gifts. I find I remember an experience more than I do just about any tangible gift. One of my favorite gifts to give the women in my life is a spa experience.
For the men, socks. I was gifted a pair of these several years ago. You’ll rarely see them off my feet through the coldest parts of the year. They’re so warm and loose; so they don’t cram up my toes. Just what I like. I can’t take snug socks. My dad loves his so much he wore a hole through the bottom and fixed them with duck tape. You know he’s from Texas, right? Just sayin’.
Gifting this way seems to reduce time spent returning gifts.
Reducing stress and time spent in crowded parking lots or long lines is a good thing. Especially this time of year with all the festivities and holiday preparations.
If you’ve been following Vanilla And Bean, you know shortbread is a favorite cookie to gift during the holiday season. The reasons are listed with this shortbread recipe and shared again with my top of the list favorite, Dark Chocolate Cocoa Nib Shortbread Stars.
Although this shortbread cookie is simple enough, there’s nothing simple about its flavor. Bourbon and vanilla bean shine in this demure cookie. Its simplicity draws me in.
Bourbon Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies are at the top of the list of shortbread recipes I have on hand because, hello! Bourbon and vanilla bean. Put those two with butter and well…
…it’s magic.
Whip these up in no time, roll em’ in a log and pop em’ in the fridge. After a two hour rest (or longer), they’re ready to slice, rest again (20 minutes), then bake. You can also freeze them for up to two months. But they won’t last that long.
Really.
Wishing y’all a fabulous pre-holiday weekend full of fun and making great memories!
Say it with me… peace and balance (peace and bal…. peace an……)……
MORE SHORTBREAD RECIPES TO LOVE
- Hazelnut Shortbread with Salted Ganache Sandwich Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Cocoa Nib Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Cocoa Nibby Pecan Shortbread Cookies
the recipe
Bourbon Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 C or 3 Sticks Unsalted Butter, room temperature 346g
- 1/2 C Cane Sugar 124g
- 1/2 C Confectioners Sugar 68g
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste*, or 1 Vanilla Bean Scraped (put the pod in your sugar jar)
- 1 TBS Vanilla Extract sub up to 1/2 of this with bourbon for even more bourbon flavor!
- 2 1/2 TBS Bourbon
- 3 1/2 C Unbleached All Purpose Flour 470g
- 1 Egg White
- 3-4 TBS Raw Sugar or Demamara Sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, cane and confectioners sugar, sea salt and vanilla bean paste. Mix on medium for about 2 minutes or until smooth (not fluffy), stopping to scrape bowl at least once. Add the bourbon and vanilla extract and mix again on medium for about 30 seconds, or until incorporated. Scrape down bowl. Add the flour all at once, pulse to start, then mix on medium until the dough forms somewhat of a ball on the paddle and has pulled away from sides of the bowl.
- On a floured work surface, dump out dough and divide in half. Shape each clump into a log, 2" (5cm) thick, gently rolling and adding flour as needed so it wont stick to you or the work surface. If the log becomes hollow, condition the dough by pinching it closed and reroll into a log. Wrap each log in plastic wrap. Carefully place in refrigerator on a flat surface for at least two hours or up to two days.
- At this point the dough can be frozen for up to two months. Be sure to double wrap the logs if freezing.
- Remove the log(s) from the refrigerator, unwrap it and using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of egg white all over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the log with raw sugar, rolling it as needed to cover the surface areas.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, firmly cut the cookies 1/2" (1 1/4cm) thick. Place on sheet pan with at least 1" (2 1/2 cm) between cookies. Place back in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes (do not skip this step or the cookies will spread). Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- Bake cookies for 25-27 minutes OR until they begin to turn golden. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
- Store in a covered container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
Notes
