When visiting Bouchon Bakery, one of my favorite things to purchase is a bag of the shortbread cookies. It may not sound as exciting as the nostalgic TKOs (Thomas Keller Oreos) and Better Nutters, or as visually appealing as the rainbow of macarons in the cold case, but I love the simplicity of a classic buttery, sugary cookie. It’s cut into a thick slice so its satisfying to sink your teeth into. The top is sprinkled with sugar for extra crunch. You can see the vanilla bean flecks throughout.
I’m sharing the recipe here from the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook, one of my go-to baking books. The directions call for slicing the cookies into rectangles, omitting the need to re-roll and reduces scraps which I like, but I have also cut out other shapes. In the photo above, I used a fluted shortbread cutter. At Thomas Keller’s ad hoc restaurant, they gave me a takeaway of the cookies in a pig shape to match their logo, so any cutter will do. The shape holds beautifully with this dough.
Shortbread
Ingredients:
180 grams (6.3 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
90 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
2 grams (1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon) kosher salt
5.9 grams (1 teaspoon) vanilla paste
270 grams (1 3/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
24 grams (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar for dusting
Shortbread will maintain straight edges better if baked in a convection oven rather than a standard oven.
Directions:
Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn to medium-low speed and cream until smooth. Add the 90 grams (1/2 cup) sugar and the salt and mix on medium-low speed for about 2 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the vanilla paste and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds to distribute it evenly.
Add the flour in 2 additions, mixing on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds after each, or until just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any flour that may have settled there.
Mound the dough on the work surface and, using the heel of your hand or a pastry scraper, push it together into a 5-inch-square block. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 325F (convection or standard). Line two sheet pans with Silpats or parchment paper.
Unwrap the dough and place it between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. With a rolling pin, pound the top of the dough, working from left to right, to begin to flatten it, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. (This will help prevent the dough from cracking as it is rolled.) Roll out to a 9-inch square. If the dough has softened, slide it (in the parchment) onto the back of a sheet pan and refrigerate it until it is firm enough to score. (See Note to Professionals.)
Using a chef’s knife and a ruler, score the dough horizontally 3 times to mark four 2 1/4–inch-wide strips. Then score it vertically 5 times at 1 1/2–inch intervals (for a total of 24 sections). If the dough is not cool to the touch, refrigerate it. Once it is firm, cut through the markings.
Dust the tops of the shortbread with the 24 grams/2 tablespoons granulated sugar and arrange on the prepared sheet pans, leaving about 1 inch between them. Bake until pale golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes in a convection oven, 17 to 19 minutes in a standard oven, reversing the positions of the pans halfway through baking. Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
The shortbread can be stored in a covered container for up to 3 days.
Makes 24 cookies
Note to Professionals: To ensure a perfectly shaped block of dough, with no waste, we continue to shape the dough as it firms in the refrigerator. We smooth the top with a rolling pin and then push a straightedge against each side of the dough.
Recipe from Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2012
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