I've been making this for years in the winter holiday season, and sometimes make a LOT, package it in waxed paper sandwich bags with ribbons and hand it out to friends and neighbors. This was one of those years, and one colleague asked for the recipe, so here it is!
This makes two circular pans of cookies, about 28. I doubled it and made cookies twice this season, and just now made another batch for an upcoming party. They last for weeks and get even better as they dry out.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ sticks of salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup confectioner's sugar
- ⅜ teaspoon salt
- ⅜ teaspoon double-acting baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Put parchment paper into the bottom of two 9" round cake pans, simple metal ones work well
- In a mixer on a slow speed, mix together first 6 ingredients until evenly crumbly, do not overmix into a batter - this should be pretty dry
- Divide the mixture between the two cake pans
- Using a wide spatula and another piece of parchment paper, press down on the crumbs and compress them into the pan
- With a spoon, sprinkle the granulated sugar on the top
- Put the pans in the oven in the middle, and bake for 7 minutes
- Take them out and use a silicone knife (if you have one) or a sharp knife and cut wedges, you can also press some decorative patterns on the edge with a fork at this time if you want to
- Return the pans to the oven and bake another 7-12 minutes, or until lightly browned
- Let cool, and separate carefully