Day 4 of the 12 Days of Cookies is a keeper.

I LOVE shortbread, it is hands down my all-time favorite cookie.  During the holidays I usually bake a batch of classic Scottish Shortbread.  This year, I am adding Strawberry Vanilla Shortbread Cookies from Use Real Butter to the rotation. Sweet strawberries and a hefty dose of vanilla add a one-two punch to a buttery, tender cookie. I made a batch and the fam scarfed them down in no time flat.

I almost didn’t try this recipe. The first part of Jen’s post is a how-to on drying strawberries.  It’s winter, where am I going to find fresh sweet strawberries to dry?  Not happening in my house, even if it’s the height of strawberry season, I’m way too lazy.  Luckily, at the very end of the instructions, she adds “If this is too much of a pain…you can always grab a bag of freeze-dried strawberries at Trader Joe’s.  Bingo, I am all over that idea.

I should have cut the strawberry pieces smaller for better distribution.  I used vanilla paste in place of the pods and part of the extract.  Once the dough is made, place it in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and roll the dough flat using the Ziploc border to create a square.  You can also shape the dough into a log for slice and bake cookies.

I used a fluted cookie cutter, chilled the dough to help keep its shape.  It was a little tough cutting through the bits of strawberries but still doable.

This is an absolutely delicious cookie.  If you like buttery, sweet-tart strawberry, and vanilla, bake this cookie.

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Strawberry Vanilla Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

• 8 oz. unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup 3.5 oz. or 100g powdered sugar
• 2 vanilla beans split and seeds scraped
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp of vanilla paste can be subbed for the pods and reduce extract to 1/2 tbsp
• 1 tbsp Grand Marnier or orange liqueur
• 2 cups 9 oz. or 260g all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup 4 oz. or 115g chopped dried strawberries (recipe below) or 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries

Instructions

• Beat the butter with a paddle attachment until smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar to butter and beat on medium speed until blended.
• Add the vanilla bean seeds (use the pods for something else) or vanilla paste, vanilla extract, and Grand Marnier to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated.
• Mix the flour and salt into the butter mixture until the flour is absorbed and no dry flour remains.
• Stir the chopped strawberries into the dough. Scrape the dough into a gallon-size ziploc bag and roll flat with a rolling pin until the dough fills the bag in an even layer.
• Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Preheat oven to 325°F and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. When the dough is chilled, peel off the plastic and slice the dough into desired shapes or use a cookie cutter (circles show the least deformation) and re-roll scraps to use again.
• Arrange your raw cookies 1.5 inches from each other on the baking sheet and dock them (prick them) with a fork three times across each cookie.
• Bake 16-20 minutes (18 minutes worked well for me) until the bottoms are golden. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

Notes

Makes about 36 2-inch round cookies or 42 1.5-inch square cookies.