Butter cookies, AKA shortbread cookies are my favorite. Tender, flaky, buttery, slightly sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth goodness, they make an excellent tea accompaniment. This recipe also has the added benefit of Rama tulsi (holy basil) incorporated into the dough. Rama tulsi is a member of the mint family and a cousin to sweet basil and is known for its mild, cooling flavor with a slight hint of clove.
Ingredients:
1-1/4 cup butter – room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
7.5 oz all-purpose flour
1 oz almond flour (optional – if not using replace with all-purpose flour for a total of 8.5 oz flour)
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp Rama tulsi (holy basil)
Instructions:
Heat oven to 300o F.
Put Rama tulsi in an herb grinder and pulse a few times. It doesn’t need to be powdered but ground fine. Remove any remaining stems. Set aside.
Measure flour*, almond flour, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Add Rama holy basil and whisk again until well mixed. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixer bowl for about 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down sides as needed.
Add flour mixture to the butter and powdered sugar mixture and mix on low just until combined. Overworking the dough will make the cookies tough.
Use a #40 cookie scoop (2 TBSP) to scoop the cookies onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. A similar cookie scoop can be found here.
Use a small flat-bottom glass to press down slightly on the top of the mound of cookie dough. Dip the bottom of the glass in raw sugar each time to prevent it from sticking to the cookie dough. This will leave sprinkles of raw sugar on the top of the cookies.
Bake in preheated oven for 12-13 minutes, until edges are just barely starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes or until firm enough to handle. Let cool completely on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
*Note: Weighing the flour will produce better results, as there is too much room for error when scooping or spooning flour into a cup. An accurate kitchen scale is a must when baking. I use one similar to this.
Makes 20 cookies.