Like all shortbread, these little, dense and buttery cookies are great to serve with fruit and/or tea when you don’t want a substantial dessert yet want something sweet.
Toasted Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
Author: Sally Sampson
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3-4 dozen
Ingredients
- 1 cup (1/2 pound/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup finely ground lightly toasted and cooled hazelnuts (start with 1 cup whole)
- 2 cups all purpose white flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup confectioners sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla and hazelnuts and mix well.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix until everything is well incorporated.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. The dough will seem excessively dry, but don’t worry: that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
- Form the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least ½ hour and up to 2 days.
- To form the cookies, break off into small pieces and roll into balls.
- Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Transfer to the oven and bake until the edges just begin to brown, about 12- 14 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes, transfer to a cooking rack and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.
- Cool the cookie sheet between batches.