Deliciously buttery and the perfect balance of crispiness and rich tenderness, this original recipe by our in-house sous chef, Maria Conforti, is the perfect addition to a celebration or a cozy day at home.
Ingredients
- 1 lb., 13 oz. (7 sticks plus 1 tablespoon) of unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp + ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar
- 4 cups of all-purpose flour (sifted)
- 4 ½ cups of cake flour (sifted)
- 3 oz. of whole milk
- Sanding sugar of your choice (to sprinkle on cookies)
Tools
- Medium saucepan
- Stand or hand mixer
- Stainless steel mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cookie sheets or jelly roll pans
- Plastic cling wrap
- Parchment paper or food release spray
- Cookie cutter of your choice
Recipe
- Place butter, salt and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, simmer until mixture is golden brown and smells a little nutty.
- Pull the saucepan off the heat, and carefully transfer it to a mixing bowl to cool. You can place this in a refrigerator to speed up the process.
- Once butter is cooled, add the powdered sugar, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour, and mix at a slow speed until fully incorporated.
- Add the milk, and mix at a slow speed until fully incorporated.
- Turn out the dough onto plastic cling wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
- After chilling, divide the dough in two pieces, and roll out one of the pieces to a thickness of about ¼".
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place racks closest to the middle as you can.
- Prepare pans. Either spray with oil, or use a piece of parchment paper.
- Using your cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place them on pans.
- Sprinkle with the sanding sugar.
(This can be coarse sugar and food coloring mixed ahead of time, if you don't have the sanding sugar.) - Bake in oven for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
- Cool cookies for a minute, and remove from pans to cooling racks to fully cool.
- Package cookies in tins or airtight containers. Enjoy within 7 days or freeze for no longer than 2 months.