Vanilla shortbread

ingredients

• Vanilla shortbread

  • 500 gram butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
  • 1/4 cup (60g) vanilla bean dusting sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 1/2 cup (675g) plain flour
  • 1/2 cup (75g) rice flour
  • 2 tablespoon white sugar

method

• Vanilla shortbread

  • 1

    Beat butter, caster sugar, dusting sugar and extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Stir in sifted flours, then press mixture together to form a firm dough. Turn onto a lightly-floured surface and knead gently until smooth. Divide dough in half. Wrap each in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.

  • 2

    Preheat oven to 150°C. Grease oven trays. Roll one dough half between two sheets of baking paper until 1cm thick. Using a 6cm round fluted cutter, cut out rounds from dough. From each round, cut a hole in the centre with a 1.5cm fluted cutter. Re-roll scraps and repeat until all the dough has been used.

  • 3

    Place rounds on oven trays and sprinkle with white sugar. Repeat with remaining half of dough.

  • 4

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

notes

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