Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, slightly cool (65°F)
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1/2 tsp (3g) fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp (4g) pure vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 1 tbsp (12g) coarse sanding sugar

Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, beat the cool-room butter and granulated sugar together using a stand mixer or handheld mixer. Aim for a pale, smooth paste rather than a fluffy cake-like consistency. Mix in the vanilla bean paste at the end of this step.
  2. Sift the all-purpose flour and fine sea salt directly into the creamed butter mixture.
  3. Use a low mixer speed or spatula to fold the flour in. Stop immediately once the dough resembles damp sand and begins to clump together.
  4. Turn the dough onto parchment paper and press into a disk or rectangle approximately 3/4-inch thick. Wrap tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes to rest the gluten and solidify the fat.
  5. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Cut chilled dough into desired shapes using cookie cutters or a bench scraper. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  6. Sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar and bake for 25 minutes, or until the edges are just barely a pale mahogany hue. Let cool completely on a wire rack to set the crumb.