It’s already mid-September and I am so ready for the fall weather to finally arrive. I’ve pretty much been trying to force it along by baking things with apples and chai and drinking all the hot coffee I can. I am already four seasons into my annual autumn Gilmore Girls re-watch (because really, it’s the best season to watch the series!) and the weather just will not comply.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop though. I’m going to keep up with my sweater wearing ways in hopes that maybe I can force a season besides summer along. Really, I’m a winter girl, but I always appreciate my second favorite season. I’ve got all the candles and books ready to go, not to mention pounds of coffee sitting in my pantry that are begging to be brewed more than just once a day.
Anyway, let’s go beyond my desire to break open some Poe or Gaiman and get into the Halloween spirit because that’s still quite a ways away. We’re really here for the bakes! Enter these Vanilla Chai Shortbread.
They’re buttery with a snap to them and have a hit of spice to them. These are perfect for anyone who wants a simple cookie/biscuit that tastes like it took much more effort than it actually did. It honestly takes only about 5 minutes to throw this dough together. You can chill it before rolling or just go straight into getting these in the oven if you don’t want to wait. They bake slow to keep the edges/top from browning which helps to keep them melt-in-the-mouth addictive.
Honestly, these are a bit dangerous. Because they aren’t too sweet, I find it hard to resist grabbing one shortbread after the other. They’re the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee or tea–they’re easily dunkable–a good book or tv show, and a crisp autumn breeze. It’s not hard to imagine eating one of these while stepping on some crunchy, fallen leaves or roaming through a pumpkin patch.
The best bit about these shortbreads–even better than how quick and easy they are–is how customizable they are! If you want a bit of a heavier vanilla flavor, you can always scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean and toss them into the dough (I don’t usually have one lying around, so I tend to just use an extra dose of vanilla extract). Likewise, you can use any chai spice mix you like! I included a link to the one I use from Fit Foodie Finds below as well as an alternative if you prefer a bit more of that peppery kick. They’re amazing the way they are, but I don’t want to deny the fact that there are people out there who prefer even more spice!
| Cook Time | 25-27 minutes |
| Servings |
shortbread biscuits
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- 300 grams butter softened, (2 sticks + 5 Tbsp)
- 150 grams granulated sugar (2/3 cup)
- 450 grams flour (3 3/4 cup)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract *
- 1 Tbsp chai spice mix** **
Ingredients
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- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).***
- Add 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Then add the flour, 1/2 at a time, and the chai spice mixture. Beat until the dough comes together.
- Form the dough into a flat disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and allow to chill for 30 minutes. Then, remove the dough from the fridge and, using either a dusting of flour on the countertop or two pieces of parchment paper, roll it out until it's about 1/3-1/2 cm thick. (If you don't want to chill it, you can easily roll the dough out right away. I personally like to give the dough some time to rest and let it harden up a bit so that it's not so soft and doesn't stick.)
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Use a cookie cutter or a knife to cut the dough into your preferred shapes and line them up on the prepared baking sheets. Dock the shortbread cutouts with a fork about 4 times each. (I like to chill my dough in the freezer about 5 minutes to help it keep it's shape as it bakes, docking it should be enough to do the trick if you don't want to take the extra step!)
- Bake about 25-27 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown (the edges won't show much color, if any at all). Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
* If you want to be fancy or feel like you want a more amped up vanilla flavor, substitute the 1 Tbsp vanilla extract with the seeds from 1 vanilla bean. ** You can use any chai spice mix that you like! I personally make a full batch of this mix from Fit Foodie Finds (1 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp allspice, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cloves, 1 Tbsp ginger) and just keep it on hand in the pantry. If you want a bit more of a kick, you can add some pepper to the mix like this Lively Table version. *** If you don't have an electric mixer or don't want to use a mixer, you can easily make these by hand using a wooden spoon to beat everything together.