Coffee Shortbread Cookies
Submitted by pouncer
Slice-and-bake coffee shortbread cookies with a melt-in-your-mouth butter crumb and an optional powdered sugar finish. Make the dough ahead and freeze for up to 2 months.
YIELD
2 dozenPREP
150 minCOOK
25 minREADY
190 minThese shortbread cookies are pure butter and coffee in every sandy, crumbly bite. Instant coffee dissolved in a tablespoon of boiling water gets creamed right into the butter, giving the whole batch a mellow roasted flavor without any grittiness.
The dough rolls into logs, chills in the fridge, and slices into neat rounds whenever you’re ready to bake. Keep a log in the freezer and you’re always 30 minutes away from fresh-baked cookies.
A roll through powdered sugar after they cool adds a snowy finish, but they’re just as good plain with an afternoon espresso.
Kitchen Tips
- Dissolve the coffee completely. Stir it well and let it cool before adding to the butter. Undissolved granules create bitter pockets in the finished cookie.
- Use a serrated knife to slice. A straight-edge knife compresses the soft dough. A serrated blade cuts cleanly without squashing the rounds.
- Bake until firm on top, not brown. These should stay pale. Overbaked shortbread loses its delicate, sandy texture and tastes dry.
Ingredients
Directions
Put the coffee in a small custard cup or ramekin.
Pour the boiling water out of the kettle into your measuring spoon, then immediately pour it over the coffee.
Stir with a spoon to dissolve the coffee.
Cool for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, cream the butter with the vanilla extract.
Blend in the dissolved coffee.
In another bowl, sift together the remaining ingredients (except optional confectioners’ sugar).
Blend the dry mix, about one-third at a time, into the butter until evenly mixed.
Divide the dough in half.
Place each half on a sheet of wax paper and shape into cylinders about 1½ inches in diameter.
Wrap them up in the wax paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
You can also overwrap the dough in a plastic bag and freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325℉ (160℃).
Using a serrated knife, slice the cookies about ¼ to ⅓ inch and place them on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops feel firm to the touch.
Transfer the cookies to a rack and cool to room temperature.
Dredge the cooled cookies in confectioners’ sugar if you like.
Store in an airtight container.
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