Cardamom Shortbread Cookies (Print Version)

Buttery shortbread infused with warm cardamom, perfect with tea. Makes 24 cookies in 35 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
03 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 2/3 cup powdered sugar
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ground cardamom, and fine sea salt.
03 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and powdered sugar together until light and creamy, approximately 2 minutes.
04 - Mix in pure vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, blending until a soft dough forms.
06 - Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/2-inch thickness.
07 - Cut into rounds or desired shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.
08 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until edges are pale golden.
09 - Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • They're impossibly buttery without tasting heavy, which means you can justify eating three with your afternoon tea.
  • The cardamom is subtle enough that even skeptics won't realize what makes them taste unexpectedly special.
  • You can make the dough in ten minutes and have warm cookies before you finish your first cup of coffee.
02 -
  • Overbaking by even two minutes turns these into crunchy shortbread instead of tender ones, which is fine if you like them that way but not if you were expecting melt-in-your-mouth magic.
  • Your butter has to be actually soft, not melted, or you'll end up with oily dough that spreads into weird shapes and never crisp up properly.
03 -
  • If your butter is too soft and you can't wait for it to firm up, stick the dough in the freezer for fifteen minutes and it'll come back ready to roll out.
  • Use a bench scraper to move the dough around while rolling because it prevents sticking better than a spatula and gives you more control over thickness.
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