Braided Vanilla Shortbread Cookies
So here we are at the time of the year again when chocolate is in abundance and there seems to be a fluffy critter with a pompom tail displayed at almost every turn. Supermarkets, main streets, online, radio broadcasts - heck, I’ve even noticed an unusual amount of rabbits in the paddocks!
Whether it’s in your tradition to celebrate Easter or not, you can’t deny that it is a wonderful time of the year that gives us an excuse to gather friends and family. I tell myself ever year that THIS will be one where I won’t indulge in the widely marketed Easter goodie bags but like every other year - I failed and am writing this with a face full of Ferraro Rocher eggs. What can I say? They’re my kryptonite!
On the rare event that I haven’t been indulging in Easter chocolate, I’ve been dunking these vanilla shortbread cookies in my morning/afternoon coffee. They easily fill the void left when you get to the fridge and realise you’ve overdone your egg quota for the weekand have no eggs left.. Like, at all!
These crumbly, sweet little delights are actually a lot easier to make than you might think. In fact, don’t worry if you can’t braid because really all this is, is a fancy twist to make it look like a braid - so fear not! They are a great treat to bring on an afternoon with friends or a day out in the paddock regardless of if it’s Easter or not!
The vanilla icing on top can be substituted for a flavour of your choosing. I particularly like swapping the milk for lemon and making them a bit more sophisticated in the tang department if you’re not a giant fan of plain ol’ vanilla.
Happy Easter my friends! Enjoy your weekend, whatever your plans may be!
Braided Vanilla Shortbread Biscuits
Ingredients
- 125g butter, softened
- 110g caster sugar
- 3 eggs, room-temperature
- 2tsp almond essence
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 375g plain flour - sifted
- 60ml full-cream milk
- pinch salt
- 320g icing sugar
- 60ml full-cream milk
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- hundreds & thousands
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C and line two large baking sheets with baking paper - set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until homogenized. Add the vanilla and salt and combine. Add the flour and milk in alternating batches until the mixture comes together as a loose dough.
- Take 1tbsp scoops of mixture and roll them in plain flour. Roll ball between palms before rolling them into a long roughly 25cm long sausage. Fold in half and twist the two ends together. Finish by coiling up the braid - think like a snail. Place evenly spaced on the baking tray.
- Bake each tray separately for roughly 20mins or until slightly browned. Cool on trays.
- To make icing, measure the icing sugar into a large bowl and pour in milk and vanilla. Whisk until all lumps are combined and the icing is smooth. Lightly press each biscuit top into the bowl of icing, about halfway up the cookie. Place back on the baking tray and sprinkle with hundreds & thousands.
- Allow the icing to set before placing into an airtight container.