Cookie Extravaganza: Cardamom Shortbread

Photo: Madison Leiren
These cardamom shortbread rounds have a festive touch made with an embossed rolling pin.

RACHEL ANTALEK

Cardamom Shortbread is a year-round favorite at Byen Bakeri in Seattle. We make ours with a decorative rolling pin to create an embossed, textured design. This recipe calls for 3 tbsps. of ground cardamom, which is A LOT! This is the amount we use at the Bakeri, but if you prefer a less intense flavor, 2 tbsps. also makes a lovely cookie. We also like to use pastry flour, which is made with a softer wheat and milled very fine. We like the tender texture it delivers. However, regular all-purpose flour works just fine as well. If you do splurge for the pastry flour, try it in things like pound cakes and pie crusts.

Cardamom Shortbread

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. almond extract
3 1/2 cups pastry flour
1/8 tsp. table salt
3 tbsps. ground cardamom

Special equipment:
Decorative rolling pin
Cookie cutter of your choice

1. Cream butter and sugar together until smooth and light.
2. Add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and mix well, scraping down bowl.
3. Blend flour, salt and cardamom together, and then add slowly to wet ingredients.
4. Add cardamom and mix until fully incorporated.
5. Chill dough 1-2 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Then take decorative rolling pin and roll to 1/4-inch thickness.
7. Cut into desired shapes (we like leaves) with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350°F, 8-10 minutes.

But you mustn’t stop with just one kind of Christmas cookie! Browse our recipes to fill your holiday table with at least syv slags!

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The Great Norwegian Christmas Cookie Extravaganza

This article originally appeared in the Nov. 27, 2020, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.