What’s more classic than shortbread for the holidays?!! They’re rich, buttery, and sweet with that wonderful melt-in-your-mouth quality. And these Twice Baked Shortbread are even more so! You are definitely going to want to include them as part of your holiday baking!

What the second bake does is to intensify the buttery flavor, giving the cookies an almost brown butter taste without requiring you to actually make brown butter. I wish I had dreamed up this genius myself but no, the brilliance comes from baking guru Alice Medrich. Naturally!

The other interesting thing that Alice has you do is that after you mix up the dough (which comes together easily in one bowl with a spoon) you pat it into your baking pan and let it rest for two hours before baking, allowing for all the flavors to meld together and for the flour to hydrate better, resulting in an even smoother texture in the finished product!

And oh what a finished product it is! So much depth of flavor and so irresistible.

Just the thing to go with a cup of tea or coffee on a cold winter day!

Twice Baked Shortbread

Makes 16 wedges

You will need a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom or an 8-inch square baking pan.

Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus 2 hours resting time and up to overnight; Bake Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm (plus a little extra softened butter for greasing the pan)

• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

• Turbinado sugar for sprinkling on cookies

The Recipe

1. Grease the tart pan making sure to get into all the crevices and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, use a large spoon to mix together the melted butter with the sugar, vanilla and salt. Add in the flour and mix only until you can see no traces of flour left. Now transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides. Let the dough rest for at least 2 hours at room temperature and up to overnight (there’s no need to stick it in the fridge).

3. Preheat oven to 300ºF and position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

4. Bake the shortbread for 45 minutes. Then remove the pan but leave the oven on. Sprinkle the top of the shortbread with the turbinado sugar and let cool for 10-15 minutes until the pan is cool enough to handle. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

5. Carefully remove the sides of the tart pan (the dough is still a bit fragile) and use a small sharp knife to cut the circle into 16 wedges. Carefully transfer the wedges to the baking sheet, spacing them a little bit apart and return to the oven for another 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove and let shortbread cool entirely on a wire rack. Store these in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks but who are we kidding? They’ll never last that long!!

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe from Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy by Alice Medrich. I baked this in a tart pan but you could also do it in an 8-inch square baking pan lined with foil. That way you’ll wind up with 14-16. squares.