Buttery Orange Cardamom Shortbread Cookies
162kcal
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- zest of two oranges
- 9 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
Equipment
- Parchment paper So the dough does not stick to the rolling surface and to line the baking sheet.
- ¼ inch square dowels For rolling out the dough to ¼ inch thickness.
- 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter I have found that this is the best size for the cookies.
- Baking sheet Aluminum baking sheets work best for controlling browning ore than darker baking sheets
Method
- Place sugar, cardamom, and orange zest in a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and combine. About 2 minutes.
- Add butter and cream, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add vanilla and combine.
- Add flour. Combine until the dough starts to come together. It should hold when you press the dough together with your fingers.
- Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough to about ¼ inch thickness. Chill for 20 minutes.
- Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the chilled dough and place the cut-out cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Chill for an additional 20 minutes. This will keep the shortbread from spreading.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F. The edges should be golden brown.
- Let cool for 10 minutes (to keep the shortbread from breaking) and place on a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Serving12cookiesCalories162kcalCarbohydrates19gProtein2gFat9gSaturated Fat5gPolyunsaturated Fat0.4gMonounsaturated Fat2gTrans Fat0.3gCholesterol23mgSodium2mgPotassium27mgFiber1gSugar6gVitamin A262IUVitamin C0.1mgCalcium7mgIron1mg
Notes
- The "Sand Texture": Don't panic if the dough looks crumbly in the bowl (like wet sand). As long as it clumps together when squeezed, it is perfect. If you overmix it to try and make it a solid ball, the cookies will be tough.
- Why the Double Chill? Chilling the dough flat makes it easier to cut clean shapes without sticking. Chilling the cut shapes solidifies the butter so they don't puddle in the oven.
- Re-rolling Scraps: You can gather the scraps and re-roll them, but they may need to be chilled again if the dough gets too warm/soft to handle.