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Vanilla Bean Thins

Source of Recipe


Gourmet, December 2002






List of Ingredients



• 1 fresh (moist) vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
  
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  
• 1 large egg yolk
  






Instructions



1. Make vanilla sugar:
   Scrape vanilla seeds from pod with tip of a knife into confectioners' sugar. Halve pods crosswise and bury in sugar. Cover tightly and let stand at least 24 hours, and up to 1 month.
   
   
2. Make cookies:
   Discard pods and transfer vanilla sugar to a food processor. Add flour, salt and baking powder, and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse just until mixture is in pea-size lumps. Add yolk and pulse just until a dough forms. Gather dough into 2 balls, then flatten into 2 (5-inch) disks and chill, each disk wrapped well in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
   
   
3. Preheat oven to 325° F. Roll out 1 disk (keep the other chilled) to less than 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut out shapes with floured cookie cutter and chill scraps. Arrange cookies 1/2-inch apart on a buttered large baking sheet. Make more cookies with remaining dough, re-rolling scraps (but only once). Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until edges are pale golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
   
   Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
   
   ............................
   
   NOTES
   
   • Dough can be chilled up to 2 days.
   
   • Cookies keep, layered, between sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.