Date and Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Buttery date and pecan shortbread cookies with a crunchy sugar coating.
Servings: 18 cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookies
- 227 grams salted European style butter (80-82% butterfat) softened
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 55 grams light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 340 grams all purpose flour 11-11.7% protein
- 57 grams toasted pecans chopped
- 43 grams medjool dates pitted, chopped into small pieces
Sugar Coating
- 100 grams turbinado sugar *or coarse sparklingsugar
Instructions
Make Shortbread Dough
- Place softened butter, granulated, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together to form a fluffy paste, about 2 minutes.227 grams salted European style butter (80-82% butterfat), 100 grams granulated sugar, 55 grams light brown sugar
- Scrape the bottom and side of the bowl with a silicone spatula. Add the citrus zest, vanilla, and almond extract, mixing again to combine.1 tablespoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- On medium-low speed spoon in the flour and mix to form a buttery dough. It will start looking like buttery crumbs, but will come together into a cookie dough in just a minutes. Scrape any flour that's stuck at the bottom.340 grams all purpose flour
- Add the chopped dates and pecans for a couple of spins. Just enough to distribute, without overworking the dough.57 grams toasted pecans, 43 grams medjool dates
Shape & Chill
- Scrape the dough onto a work surface, knead slightly to pack the dough into a ball. Weigh and divide the dough into two halves. Roll each half into log about 2-inches in diameter and 9-inches long. **You can roll it into one large log, but I find it easier to work with two that are the same size.
- Pour the turbinado sugar into a shallow flat plate or onto a piece of parchment paper. Carefully roll the dough logs into the sugar for an even coating. Gently pat the sugar into the dough.100 grams turbinado sugar
- Cover the logs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight to firm. Shortbread dough must be very cold before slicing and baking.
Slice & Bake
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃) and line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
- Remove one log of dough from the fridge and slice into 1/2-inch rounds using a large sharp knife. I sometimes trim off the ends, before cutting rounds for neater slices. Arrange the cookies on the baking pan 1-2 inches apart.
- Place the pan on the middle oven rack and bake for 12-14 minutes until the bottom edges are starting to lightly brown and the tops of the cookies are matte and no longer shiny.
- Place pan on cooling rack for about 10 minutes before carefully transferring baked cookies directly into a wire rack to cook completely.
Video
Notes
- Ingredients Used
- Flour: Gold Medal All Purpose Flour 10.5-11% protein
- Butter: President Salted Butter 80% butterfat
- If you choose to use unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt to the flour before mixing the dough.
- Oven: This recipe was written for a conventional oven (top and bottom heat). For convection fan ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness 75% of the way through baking.
Weigh your flour: The measurement I use: 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams. This amount can change based on a different baker’s recipe or using a conversion tool. The weight listed in the recipe is how it was tested and should be used for accuracy. Different brands of flour are made with soft or hard wheat and have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high. This can change the final result of a baked good, giving different outcomes on the same recipe. I list the level of protein in the ingredients, the brand of flour tested with and a link to My Baking Ingredients for additional details. When choosing a flour, look at the protein level on the back of the bag and consult the recommended amount for the recipe.