I needed something crunchy and sweet to serve with my homemade peach ice cream, and that finally pushed me to create this shortbread. I’d been thinking about a cardamom-flavored treat for months — since April 1, 2014, in fact — but only now did I follow through.
On April 1st my friend John sent me this note:
Cardamom, the forgotten spice. Why?
That prompted a few ideas on Facebook, though none of those are what I’m sharing here. I still want to try other cardamom recipes — like ocean rolls or a cardamom vanilla layer cake — but this shortbread was the one that fit the menu for an American-style BBQ we were hosting: grilled chicken and corn on the cob, potato and green salads, and homemade peach ice cream for dessert. Flaky, crumbly shortbread felt like the perfect companion.
Cardamom has always seemed underrated in baked goods to me. It plays in sweets much the same way bay leaf does in savory dishes: subtle, aromatic, and surprisingly transformative.
For the best flavor and a pleasant little crunch, use fresh cardamom seeds scraped from the pods. It’s worth the small extra effort: in a bite or two you’ll notice bursts of cardamom. To remove the seeds, use your thumbnail to pierce the pod and pry it open, much like cracking a pistachio shell.
This recipe calls for the seeds from five pods, which is what I used. If you’re a devoted cardamom lover, try increasing to eight or ten pods for a bolder flavor; otherwise the five-pod version is nicely balanced. If you’d rather make a plain shortbread, a simple butter cookie is an excellent alternative.
Cardamom Vanilla Bean Shortbread
Ingredients
- 5 cardamom pods
- 2 tablespoons demerara or turbinado sugar divided
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at cool room temperature (227 g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (113 g)
- generous pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (241 g)
Instructions
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Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and place them in a small bowl. Discard the empty pods.
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In a blender, combine 1 tablespoon of the demerara or turbinado sugar with the cardamom seeds and blend for about 1 minute until the seeds are evenly distributed. Return the mixture to the small bowl and stir in the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.
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Add the butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
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With a small paring knife, slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and use the dull side of the knife to scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the butter mixture, breaking up any clumps.
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Beat the mixture until smooth, then add the flour and continue beating until the dough comes together.
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape it into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 300 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle half of the cardamom-sugar mixture evenly over the dough.
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Roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 3-by-1-inch rectangles or your preferred shape, and sprinkle with the remaining cardamom-sugar mixture.
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Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, prick each one all over with a fork, and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until they’re lightly browned around the edges.
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Transfer the shortbread to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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