Taya Starling

HomieLoverFriends. I know butter is suppose to be bad for you. I know. I get it. But I’m not going to lie to you. I love it. I love it on bread, in my pasta, on my potatoes, and especially in my pastries. All pastries are not created equal. The ones with butter are better. Sorry! (not sorry). 

So for today’s butter filled bliss- shortbread. So simple, so yummy, so easily adaptable. I made Vanilla Jasmine shortbread but you can easily sub the Vanilla Jasmine for other flavored tea- typically I made lavender or earl grey shortbread but I happened to have this lovely tin of vanilla Jasmine tea at home and I thought it would be oh so yummy as a cookie so, here it is. 

  
You’ll need:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened
• ½ cup Confectioners Sugar
• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (or whatever flour you prefer to work with- I used flax whole wheat to try to balance off the butter ha! It’s the thought that counts right?)
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 tablespoon (or 1 bag) of Vanilla Jasmine- or whatever flavor you like- tea leaves, 2 bags can be used for a stronger flavor

And here’s what you need to do:

Preheat your oven to 350­°.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and confectioners sugar together- I used my paddle attachment. 

Add in the flour, salt, and tea leaves. Mix it all until a soft dough forms. The mixture may be dry and crumbly at first but it will come together, don’t worry!

Okay and now this is what I love, theres no wait time. Typically shortbread dough needs to be left in the fridge for a while but we’re gonna break the rules and from the mixing bowl to your counter top, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it’s ¼ inch thick.

Cut out cookies using a 2 in round cookie cutter or whateve fun shape you want!

Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20-22 minutes or until edges are a golden brown.

Now try to resist eating them until they’ve cooled!  They’re best with a cup of tea or coffee. Mine were a little less typical because I used flax whole wheat flour which tends to have a slightly chalky texture like coconut flour.  But as I said before, you can use whatever flour you prefer, just be sure to compensate wherever needed (i.e. Coconut flour requires more liquid than all purpose). And there you have it! Buttery, lightly sweetened, fragrant shortbread cookies. Happy eating xo