Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies are a simple, buttery, and utterly delicious cookie perfect for afternoon tea, an after school snack, or any occasion.
If you’re looking for a soft spoken, elegant cookie to pair with coffee or tea, look no further. These demure cookies speak in the hushed tones of floral vanilla bean, they quietly crunch and then melt away in your mouth.
After you eat one or two, you’ll wonder why you’d ever need anything else in a cookie.
I made them for the book group ladies, to balance out the DECADENT CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES and FLOURLESS BELGIAN CHOCOLATE CAKE. I didn’t want to be responsible for anyone going into shock from chocolate overload.
I’ve made lots of SHORTBREAD COOKIES on the blog, and if you like these you might try my WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP PECAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES, or my original PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD COOKIES.
Vanilla Bean Shortbread Tea Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Cream the sugar and butter together with the vanilla bean seeds. Blend in the flour and vanilla extract. Keep stirring until the dough comes together.
- Turn the soft dough out onto a floured surface and for into two disks, like for pie dough. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick and cut out the cookies. Place them on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.
- Put the baking sheet in the refrigerator while you clean up.
- Bake the cookies for about 13 minutes until firm.
- Cool on a rack
Don’t forget to pin these Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies
57 Comments
Beth Friedman
February 8, 2021 at 7:51 amMy daughter bought me some vanilla bean paste so I googled recipes using it and saw your recipe..
I’ve never used it before. You put in both the vanilla bean paste and vanilla?
Sue Moran
February 8, 2021 at 7:53 amI’m obsessed 😉 But feel free to choose one or the other.
Denise
January 1, 2021 at 10:42 pmHi, after baking can you freeze the cookies? I plan on baking these ahead of time just wondering if they freeze well after I bake them.. Thank you
Reta
March 1, 2020 at 12:45 pmWhen using the thermometer do you balance the tip of it against the bottom of the pan or just not touching? I simply love your posts, thank you so very much. This question is one I have had since I started baking, many, MANY years ago!! Have a wonderful day!
Sue
March 1, 2020 at 1:46 pmWhen you use a candy thermometer (or deep fry thermometer) they generally have a clip on them that allows you to clip it to the side of the pan so the tip doesn’t touch the bottom. If you’re using something else, then it should not touch the bottom of the pan. Hope this helps.
Janet
March 27, 2019 at 9:49 amI wonder if you could just slice these after rolling into a log & chilling, Instead of rolling out the dough & cutting out with a cookie cutter? Sometimes I’m just lazy! Thank you.
Sue
July 17, 2019 at 11:22 amAbsolutely, I get lazy too 🙂
Reta
March 1, 2020 at 2:29 pmYes, certainly does. Thank you dear!!
courtney
December 12, 2018 at 12:15 pmTwo questions have you ever used a cookie press with the dough instead of rolling them out. And if we’re using the vanilla bean paste it replaces the vanilla bean and the extract?
Sue
December 12, 2018 at 1:30 pmI haven’t used a cookie press but I often roll the dough into a log, chill, and slice and bake. And yes, the paste takes the place of the bean and extract.
Trinity
December 6, 2018 at 10:35 pmSo I am making these for my grandmother who Celiac so she cant have gluten. I cant find a straight forward recipe with out having to buy a million things. Will this recipe would if subsgiting with gluten free flower and a binder?
Sue
April 25, 2020 at 4:56 pmI’m not sure, Trinity. I’ve made my basic shortbread in a square baking pan with a gluten free flour mix, but not these cookies, sorry.
Lucy
November 30, 2018 at 5:43 amHi, when you say confectioners sugar are you meaning powdered sugar or regular granulated sugar?
Sue
November 30, 2018 at 7:15 amI mean powdered sugar!
allyson sampson
October 25, 2018 at 3:25 pmcould you use these for cut out/ royal icing cookies? do they spread?
Sue
October 25, 2018 at 5:25 pmThese don’t spread, so yes, I think you could.
E
December 19, 2017 at 10:47 amInstead of using only vanilla flavoring I used half almond, and I also replaced the vanilla bean with fresh orange peels (two of the little cutie peels chopped up because that’s what I had in the house) and they tasted just like marmalade!
Sue
December 19, 2017 at 11:06 amNice! I adore almond, and the combination with the Cutie zest sounds amazing!
Sue
December 19, 2017 at 11:10 amWould they be good made into a sandwich cookie with marmalade, too??
Lele
December 16, 2017 at 6:03 pmBaked them for a tea party with some friends and everyone absolutely loved it! They smell and taste absolutely amazing! So simple but so delightful
Sue
December 16, 2017 at 7:39 pmThese cookies really are as simple as a cookie can get ~ glad you liked them!
Natalie
May 14, 2017 at 11:00 amThese look amazing! I just got an embossed rolling pin – any advice on how to use that with this recipe? Should I chill dough first before rolling out or after cookies are cut so it holds the stamp? Thanks!!
Kathy
August 10, 2018 at 5:12 pmI was wondering the exact same thing.
Sue
August 10, 2018 at 6:21 pmI haven’t tried these with an embossed stamp or rolling pin, but I would definitely chill the dough first.
Christine
December 5, 2016 at 2:00 pmDo you think the dough would hold up if I refrigerated over night? I have a massive baking day coming up with a girlfriend and like to make my doughs the night before to keep things moving when it comes to the oven. Thanks in advance.
Sue
December 5, 2016 at 3:12 pmOh absolutely!
Jennifer
October 13, 2016 at 5:54 pmI made these but I didn’t follow the order of ingredients. I am blaming the cute 7 month old baby at my feet. Instead I mixed everything all at once, mixed with my mixer and hoped for the best. They came out pretty good but a bit dry. Which, I know is the nature of shortbread but they just were not giving me the va-va-voom I was looking for. So I melted down semi-sweet chocolates and dipped the face of them and they are one of the most amazing cookies, ever! Also, I didn’t use a fancy cutter, I used Halloween cookie cutters instead and they have morphed into divine Autumn treats.
Sue
October 13, 2016 at 6:04 pmSounds wonderful Jennifer — I hope you gave the 7 month old a taste 🙂
Amy
August 31, 2016 at 7:38 amThese are the best cookies I’ve ever made! I love how light and airy the dough is. My kitchen smells amazing now! And the cookies came out perfectly and stayed delicious for the week that we were able to not eat them all. 🙂 Perfection!
MegD
June 29, 2015 at 11:26 amI so wanted these to work. They so did not. I double-checked the ingredients and measurements. Everything was in order, but I ended up with a buttery flat mess on the baking sheet. We’re crumbling it up to go over ice cream, so we’re calling it a ‘reinterpretation’ but something went very wrong somewhere.
Kate
November 16, 2016 at 10:20 amHi.. after baking a few years, I realized that the brand of butter matters. If at room temperature it is hard to get off the paper, it has too much liquid. I use Land of Lakes every time. Also if your butter is too cold it won’t work properly either..
Sue
November 16, 2016 at 11:34 amGreat point Kate! I’m a Land of Lakes user too, and when I buy cheaper brands I can always tell the difference.
Katie
December 9, 2014 at 5:21 amDo you recommend using both vanilla bean and vanilla bean paste? I’ve never used the paste and am worried I would overload them with using scraped seeds as well.
Sue
December 9, 2014 at 6:44 amA lot of people will skip the vanilla bean, so the suggestion is there for that reason. I agree that the bean and the paste together might be overkill…but you never know…;)
Trish Kane
November 30, 2014 at 2:44 amWhere do you buy vanilla beans for this recipe?
Sue
November 30, 2014 at 6:22 amI usually just buy my beans at the grocery store, Trish. But I recommend Olive Nation or Beanilla, which are online suppliers,
Margaret
November 12, 2014 at 2:17 pmI made the Vanilla Bean short bread today and they are delicious,I added some grated NUTMEG,the short bread cookies are buttery crisp the will go great with Tea,Coffee or cold glass f milk, I will triple the recipe for the Holidays.
Sue
November 12, 2014 at 2:20 pmI love the idea of adding the nutmeg 🙂
Ruth Bethune
April 18, 2014 at 10:42 amWhere is the print icon please? Ruth Bethune
Sue
April 21, 2014 at 4:06 pmSorry Ruth, my older recipes don’t have the printable recipe plugin, I’m trying to convert them all over to it, slowly!
grace
January 21, 2013 at 8:40 pmi’ve never heard a cookie described as demure–i like it. 🙂
Donna Elick
January 21, 2013 at 4:21 pmI love shortbread. Vanilla bean sounds perfectly fabulous. They are simple and fantastic all in one bite, arent they? Even sitting next to the truffles, I would go for the shortbread… However, I can’t say the same for the cake. I have a bit of a ‘thing’ with cake. haha
vanillasugarblog
January 21, 2013 at 12:25 amand i am so glad i finally switched over to using vanilla bean paste instead of pods–far cheaper!!! and just a tasty!
Yasmeen
January 21, 2013 at 12:15 amI’m always happy to have a delicate shortbread recipe on file – it’s something everyone loves and such a handy thing to whip up if people are coming over. Love the flecks of vanilla bean, too… we brought back heaps of vanilla beans from our honeymoon in Bali that are waiting to be mixed into these!
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
January 20, 2013 at 9:14 pmAs I sit here drinking my cup of Jasmine tea and cookie-less, I’m salivating over these cookies. Can’t wait to try them!
The Café Sucré Farine
January 20, 2013 at 2:44 amThese look super amazing! I can’t ever, ever, ever have too many shortbread recipes! This one will most definitely go into my collection! Would it be okay if took the blue tea cups too? I love those, so pretty!
Leslie
January 20, 2013 at 6:05 amSuch a lovely cookie and I like your blue and white accessories!
leslie
http://www.trouverlesoleil.blogspot.com
Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez
January 19, 2013 at 11:48 pmI actually make a variety of vanilla bean shortbread that is my favorite! But yours are different than mine…and they do look so demure and dainty sitting there. I’ll be trying yours next time!
Sue/the view from great island
January 20, 2013 at 1:57 amI’ll check your blog to see if you’ve posted them…I’d love to try another version. I’ve become such a vanilla fiend this year that I’m going to buy some beans in bulk.
Mynda
January 19, 2013 at 11:15 pmAloha! I love all types of shortbread but have never made a recipe with confectioner’s sugar — can’t wait to try this one!
Can you confirm if it’s 1 pound or 2 sticks of butter, please? I thought there were 4 sticks in pound.
Mahalo!
Sue/the view from great island
January 20, 2013 at 2:04 amOoops, I meant 1 cup. I updated the recipe. Trying to blog every day is catching up with me!
Debby Foodiewife
January 19, 2013 at 11:06 pmHow beautiful are these? I love all the vanilla bean specks. I’ll be that the confectioners sugar makes these super tender. Drool.
Sue/the view from great island
January 20, 2013 at 2:05 amYou can use either kind of sugar, and I also like the kind of sandy texture that regular sugar gives them. I sometimes alternate.
Averie @ Averie Cooks
January 19, 2013 at 8:20 pmI never make shortbread in favor of the more ooey and gooey type cookies. I need to change that up. The flavor in these is right up my alley.
Sue/the view from great island
January 20, 2013 at 2:12 amWell, luckily there’s room in this world for shortbread AND the ooey gooey cookies 😉
La Table De Nana
January 19, 2013 at 5:58 pmMy favorite kind of cookies..So pretty w/ blue and white:)
Nantucket Daffodil
January 19, 2013 at 5:40 pmOMG, I posted a photo in the sidebar of my blog of the most wonderful little bird cookie pictures….I do believe your cookies would be the perfect base, and I KNOw I can easily convert to gluten free!