Gourmet Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies are my weakness. Lightly crispy edges. Soft chewy centers. I love that intensely sweet aroma that permeates from your kitchen oven while the cookies are baking. And that irresistible aftertaste! I crave sugar cookies in my sleep. Everything about them. Just heavenly.
In honor of my favorite cookie, I started on a quest to create THE ultimate sugar cookie. Something that would make a fantastic gift for any occasion. Something simple, yet complex – buttery, bright, and flavorful. Yet totally refined.
I’m happy to say, I have found it.
The Ultimate Sugar Cookie
Has a lot of beautiful elements that make the cookies both completely unique and absolutely delicious. These are not your average sugar cookie. Some of our gourmet ingredients include:
- Almond flour: Just a half cup adds so much flavor to the dough, keeps the cookies soft and chewy for days, and (best of all) is the secret ingredient to those perfectly crispy edges. *Chef’s kiss*
- Vanilla bean paste: Adds intense vanilla flavor to the cookies and who doesn’t love seeing those beautiful little bean flecks? This recipe takes 2 full teaspoons.
- Orange zest: Might seem like a bizarre ingredient for a sugar cookie, but orange zest is incredibly important for adding brightness/acidity to the cookies. Orange and vanilla blend harmoniously together in a way you have to taste to understand. Just be careful not to use too much! You want just a hint of orange to compliment the vanilla.
- Brown sugar: A fourth cup is added for spread and a boost of extra chewiness.
- Unsalted butter (85% butterfat:) The 85% is super important for that gourmet buttery profile.
- Vanilla sugar: Whole vanilla beans are buried in granulated sugar and left to steep in an airtight container for a few days for extra vanilla goodness.
- Flaky sea salt: The cookies are rolled in sugar, baked, then topped with sea salt immediately after being pulled from the oven. This little detail takes the cookies right to the next level.
For Best Results
- Melt the butter, let it cool slightly, then whisk it with the sugars before combining with the flours.
- Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight to firm up the butter. The flavors will also meld, getting both deeper and richer.
- Keep the orange zest under 1/2 teaspoon to avoid an overload of orange flavor. I like to lightly zest one small tangerine – cuties work well!
- The cookies will be very soft once pulled out of the oven. Leave the cookies on the cookie tray for at least 5 minutes before carefully moving them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Don’t overbake. You want to pull the cookies just as soon as the edges start to turn golden brown. They will have gooey centers and look a little undone. This is how you get that perfectly chewy sugar cookie.
Storage
Cookies are best the day they’re made, but keep very well in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They also freeze beautifully and can be kept in the freezer for several months. Simply thaw in the fridge, then at room temperature, or try eating them cold! They’re delicious both ways.
Hospitality Rating *****
You really can’t go wrong with cookies! Here are some fun ideas.
Cookie box: Make them as part of a gift box with other cookies or simply gift them alone. They work well for the holidays!
Mealtrain dessert: Know someone in need of a meal? Make them a homemade dinner and include these cookies as a dessert. They’ll be in for quite a treat!
Gourmet Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 sticks (1cup) Unsalted butter (melted) 85% for best flavor!
- 170g (3/4cup) Granulated sugar
- 57g (1/4cup) Light brown sugar Packed
- 1 Large egg
- 2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste Or 1tsp good quality extract
- 208g (1 1/2cup) All purpose flour
- 50g (1/2cup) Almond flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Orange zest
For rolling
- (1/2cup) Vanilla sugar Plain sugar works too
For finishing
- A few pinches flaky sea salt For topping the baked cookies
Instructions
- Put melted butter (slightly cooled) in a large bowl. Whisk together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy. Add egg and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together AP flour, almond flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients in three additions until combined. Fold orange zest into the dough.
- Chill dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm up the butter. 6-8 hours for deeper flavor.
- Once dough is firm, but still soft, scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls of dough and roll them between your hands until smooth. Place on a parchment lined tray and continue until all of the dough has been made into balls.
- Transfer tray to the freezer for 30 mins to an hour. (Dough needs to be frozen or very firm)
- Once firm, remove the tray and roll each ball in the vanilla sugar before placing on a separate parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure there's at least 3in of space between cookies. (*If you don't plan to make all the cookies, simply drop the balls in a freezer bag and leave them in the freezer until ready to use.)
- Bake at 350 for 10-11 mins (depending on your oven) until the edges are golden brown. (Do not overbake! The middles of the cookies will look like they're not quite done. Pull them out anyway. This is how you get those crispy edges and chewy soft centers.)
- The cookies will be extremely soft. Leave on the baking tray at room temperature for 5 minutes until the cookies are firm enough to pick up, Move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. As they sit, they will continue to firm.
- These cookies are best the day they're made, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
