RECIPE
Makes: 60 cookies
230 g Unsalted Butter
130 g Caster Sugar
290 Plain Flour
150 g Rice Flour
2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
40 g Egg Yolks (2 yolks)
pinch Salt
Method
1. Place the room temperature butter, sugar and salt into a stand mixer bowl and cream over slow to medium speed until soft and there are no lumps of butter remaining. Do not aerate the cookie mix.
2. Add in the sifted plain flour and rice flour and mix until the mixtures resembles bread crumbs then add in the yolks. Continue to mix until the dough starts to clump up together.
3. Remove the cookie dough from the mixer and press the dough together with your hands to form in to a smooth dough. Gently press and flatten , place the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper and with the help of a rolling pin, roll the cookie dough to 2 cm or 20 mm in thickness. Cut into 3 cm x 6 cm rectangle. Place the cookie onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper leaving a small gap between each cookie.
You may need to divide the dough into two parts and roll them out separately.
With the help of a fork, prick holes on each of the cookies.
Meanwhile, pre heat the oven to 180° C fan forced.
Note: Alternatively, cut in to any other desired shape. If during rolling the dough feels really soft, simply roll the dough to the desired thickness then place the sheet of dough on to a flat tray and place into the fridge to rest for 30 minutes to an hour until it firms up. Soft dough can be due to the ambient of your kitchen being too warm or the ingredients used are too warm or that the butter was creamed too much.
4. Bake in the pre heated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until you are able to move the base off the cookie. The cookie will start to slightly brown from the side. If you want a lighter cookie color for decorative cookies, reduce the baking time or temperature.
5. Remove the cookies from the oven and let it fully cool before serving.
Note: Excess dough can be combined together and rerolled for baking. If the dough gets too soft, simply wrap the dough flattened in cling film and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before proceeding.
Storage
Store the shortbread cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 weeks. Alternatively, you can freeze the short bread in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply thaw before serving.
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