This recipe comes from Patisseries, Sweet and delicious recipes from great Canadian pastry chefs by James MacDougall. On Page 43 there is an Empire Belgian Cookies recipe. As much as I adore the cookies with jam and lemon butter, and yes, I will make these too, I used these buttery, melt in the mouth cookies to make nutella shortbread for the nutella lover in the family.
NUTELLA SHORTBREAD COOKIES
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
2-1/8 cups cake and pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Nutella [use the real thing please]
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream butter, vanilla and sugar together.
• Sift dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture.
• Mix to combine.
• Divide dough in half, and wrap and chill for two hours.
Place one half of the cookie dough on a well floured board.
• Dust the rolling pin with flour and roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
• Cut circles with a medium sized cookie cutter.
• Reroll the scraps and roll and cut again until most of the dough is used up.
• Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let rest on pan for 5 minutes.
• When cookies have set, move to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
• Pair the cookies according to size and shape.
• Place a spoonful of nutella on half of the cookies and spread almost to the edge.
• Place the remaining cookies on the top.
