Vanilla Cinnamon Shortbread

These buttery shortbread cookies are perfect for gifting in and out of the festive season. They're powdery. and almost taste melt-in-your-mouth.

Yield: Makes 48
Prep Time: 40 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Difficulty Level: 2/5

Ingredients

• 500 g butter, softened
• ¾ cup (165 g) caster sugar
• ¼ cup (60 g) vanilla bean
• Dusting sugar
• 1 tsp concentrated vanilla extract
• 4½ cup (675 g) plain flour
• ½ cup (75 g) rice flour
• 2 tbsps white sugar

Steps

01. Beat butter, caster sugar, dusting sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Stir in the sifted flours; press mixture together to form a firm dough. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide in half, cover, refrigerate for 30 mins.

02. Preheat the oven to slow (150 C/130 C fan- forced). Lightly grease oven trays.

03. Roll half the dough between two sheets of baking paper until 1 cm thick. Using a 6 cm fluted cutter, cut rounds from the dough; from each round, cut a hole in the centre with a 1.5 cm fluted cutter. Re-roll scraps and repeat.

04. Place rounds on greased oven trays, sprinkle with the white sugar. Repeat with the remaining dough.

05. Bake shortbread for about 30 mins or until a pale straw colour. Stand the shortbread on the trays for 5 mins; transfer to a wire rack to cool.

TIP To give as a gift, thread ribbon through the centre of the shortbread and tie into a ring. Or, you can hang shortbread from the Christmas tree.

Photo: bauersyndication.com.au