Snickerdoodle Shortbread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla
Topping
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
- Heat oven to 325F. Butter an 8×8-inch baking pan.
- Add the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon and cardamom to the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse a couple times to combine.
- Chop the butter into big pieces and add them on top of the dry ingredients, along with the vanilla extract.
- Pulse in short bursts until an extremely crumbly dough forms. Over-mixing will hurt the tender, crumbly texture, so check frequently. If you can squeeze some of the bits and they hold together, its ready.
- Dump the shortbread mixture into the prepared pan. Use the palm of your hands, or the bottom of a measuring cup to press down the mixture until it is totally smooth.
- Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the mixture, and pat topping gently onto the dough.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is deeply golden-brown and dry to the touch. 9. As soon as it comes out of the oven, use a knife to cut into 16 squares. (It will be difficult to cut once the shortbread is cooled).
- Let the shortbread completely cool before serving.
