Vanilla Bean Shortbread is a light and flakey pastry snack for any day of the year but it’s particularly perfect on Christmas morning. I’ve been making this recipe for about 10 years and it’s still a favorite. The buttery shortbread is moist and delicate. The vanilla bean hits you twice — first the warm fragrance hits your nose and then the delicate flavor hits your tongue.
Vanilla Bean Shortbread is a very easy recipe to make. The hardest thing about this recipe is finding the courage to share it.
Baking In My Blood
I was fortunate to grow up in a household where homemade baked goods were the rule, not the exception. Betty Crocker box shortcuts were only used for birthday cakes. And technically, using box mixes isn’t cheating. It’s just a shortcut to getting perfectly measured dry ingredients. You still have to put the time and effort (love) into adding the eggs and oil and mixing it up.
Making a batch of Vanilla Bean Shortbread is almost as easy as mixing up a box cake but you get a much more sophisticated treat.
Confession −I’m Not a Good Baker
As I got older and more confident in the kitchen, my food got better and better but my baking got worse and worse. Why? Because baking requires patience. And that you measure your ingredients. No eyeballing it.
Baking takes patience. It’s a process, and the results are better when you don’t rush.
Baking Meditation
Making a batch of Vanilla Bean Shortbread is like a meditation for me. I get all the ingredients on the counter, set up the stand mixer, line the baking dish with parchment. One step at a time. Breathe in, breathe out.
Making Vanilla Bean Shortbread
The recipe for Vanilla Bean Shortbread doesn’t have many ingredients. You probably have everything you need already except the vanilla bean itself.
You can find vanilla beans in most stores. They’re in the spice section. They are pricy, but worth it. To get the good stuff out, you slice the bean down the middle lengthwise and use a knife to scrape out the seeds. It can be a little tricky but it’s doable.
This year I discovered that I can buy vanilla bean paste which is not only a much better value, but much easier to use. Click the image above to buy it on Amazon if you can’t find it at the store.
Now I can easily go overboard on the vanilla bean in Vanilla Bean Shortbread.
Press and Bake
The batter for Vanilla Bean Shortbread is like a very light cookie dough. Dump the dough into a baking dish lined with parchment paper.
I use cans or jars to hold the parchment down while I’m making the dough so it will stay in place when it’s time to add the dough.
Take another piece of parchment paper and lay it over the top of the dough. Use your palm to gently press the dough flat so that it fills the dish.
It just takes a minute or so. You can feel the thickness through the parchment. Get it as even as you can and then peel the parchment away.
You can lay the parchment back down and go over any areas that look cracked. Try to get it as smooth as possible so that you can cut it into squares once it is baked.
Leaving cracks in the dough will make it hard to cut nice squares.
Vanilla Bean Shortbread – Less Baking Time is More
Don’t overbake the Vanilla Bean Shortbread or it gets too crispy. The goal is to get a consistency more like a brownie than a cookie.
You want to pull the Vanilla Bean Shortbread out of the oven before it starts to turn golden. Watch the edges. As soon as they look baked and the center looks a bit dry, it’s ready to come out.
Allow to cool for a about 10 minutes in the baking dish, then cut it into 3″ x 3″ squares while it’s still in the baking dish. This helps keep the squares from crumbling as you cut.
I like to use a sharp edged food scraper but a sharp knife also works.
Using the parchment paper edges as handles, carefully lift the entire batch out of the dish and set aside on a flat surface to cool completely. I usually cover it with a clean towel while it rests.
Store in an airtight container, using parchment paper between layers if needed.
Vanilla Bean Shortbread is best if eaten within a week or so, but it would never last that long in my house.
Equipment
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or scrape seeds from one vanilla bean)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper with enough to leave extra hanging over the sides (your going to use the parchment to lift the shortbread out of the dish later).
- Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl. Mix well with a fork to distribute the cornstarch evenly throughout the flour.
- In a stand mixer, mix the butter at medium speed for 2 minutes until it gets lighter in color and a little fluffy. Scrape down the sides. Add the oil and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides at least once. Gradually add the sugar, beating well. Add the vanilla bean paste or seeds and mix to distribute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the flour mixture all at once. Beat at low speed just until combined. Stop and scrape the sides one more time and mix on low again just to ensure all flour is mixed in. The mixture should be a moist and crumbly dough.
- Transfer the dough to the baking dish, spreading as evenly as possible. Lay a second piece of parchment over the top of the dough and use your palm to press down lightly on the dough until it is packed into the dish and spread evenly to all sides and corners. Peel the parchment back. If you see lots of cracks, replace the parchment and keep smoothing until it looks homogenous.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Starting checking at 18 minutes. If you see any signs of browning on the edges, remove from oven. The shortbread should look dry but not crispy or golden. My picture looks more golden than it is due to the oven light. The color should not look much different than it did when it went in the oven.
- Allow to rest for about 10 minutes in the dish. Cut the shortbread into squares (about 3" by 3"). Use a sharp knife or a flat edged food scraper. Be gentle. Once the shortbread is cut, carefully lift it out of the baking dish using the parchment paper as your handles. Set on a flat surface and allow to cool completely. Carefully transfer to an airtight container, using parchment paper between layers if needed. Eat within a week for best freshness.
Nutrition
Need other recipes for the holidays? Check out Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Cashews, a super easy recipe that makes a big batch when you need quick gifts on hand. If you are craving more shortbread, try Rosemary Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies. The rosemary imparts a flavor almost like mint and they’re totally addictive.
