Brown Sugar Shortbread
- Level: Easy
- Total: 1 hr (includes cooling time)
- Active: 20 min
- Yield: 16 cookies
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 265
- Total Fat
- 16 g
- Saturated Fat
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 29 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Protein
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 41 mg
- Sodium
- 102 mg
- Level: Easy
- Total: 1 hr (includes cooling time)
- Active: 20 min
- Yield: 16 cookies
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 265
- Total Fat
- 16 g
- Saturated Fat
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 29 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Protein
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 41 mg
- Sodium
- 102 mg
Ingredients
Directions
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- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you want to make yourself a guide, use a 6-inch round cake pan or bowl to trace two circles onto the parchment, then turn the parchment over (so the ink won't touch the dough). Or just wing it.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), cream the butter and brown sugar on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and mix on low speed to combine. Scrape the bowl well. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed just until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal portions (about 306 grams each) and shape into disks. Place one disk on one half of the prepared baking sheet and use your hands to flatten the dough into a 6-inch round. Repeat with the second disk, leaving 1/2 inch of space between the rounds. If using, brush a coat of egg wash onto the surface of each round.
- Use a sharp knife to score each round gently into 8 wedges--press down just enough to barely cut into the dough, to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Bake until the edges of the shortbread are just beginning to turn golden and the surface appears set, 12 to 14 minutes.
- Cool the shortbread completely on the baking sheet, then cut along the score lines into wedges.
Cook’s Note
Make Ahead and Storage: The cookies can be stored airtight for up to 1 week. Why It Works: This recipe is all about ratios. The right amount of butter for flavor, flour for structure, and sugar for moisture and tenderness, as well as for sweetness, yield a perfectly crumbly cookie. I like to brush the shortbread with egg wash to five it a lightly golden, crackly look. If you leave it plain, the cookies will have a pale, smooth surface. Both versions are pretty and delicious, so do as you please! Pro Tip: Now is the time to use the fancy butter if you can--with so few ingredients, the rich flavor of higher-fat Irish or European butter makes for truly extraordinary shortbread. How to Keep Your Brown Butter Soft: Until I discovered this trick, when I dug into the brown sugar jar, I often encountered a hard, unscoopable mass. But guess what: Throw one or two marshmallows into the container, and they'll prevent the sugar from drying out. And since marshmallows are shelf stable, you don't have to worry about replacing them.
