Today I'm sharing a recipe for tender, crumbly shortbread cookies with a warm cinnamon flavor and aroma. I also added mandarin zest to the dough — orange zest works just as well. For the filling, I used brown sugar, but it's not required, since the cinnamon already gives it a rich flavor and a dark color, so regular sugar works perfectly fine too. The cookies turned out absolutely delicious — melt-in-your-mouth, with a pronounced yet soft and delicate cinnamon flavor. The cookie itself is very tender and crumbly, while the filling is slightly chewy and springy. This recipe made 48 cookies.
Ingredients:
- Dough:
- 350–400 g flour
- 200 g butter
- 130 g powdered sugar
- 10 g vanilla sugar
- 1 egg
- a pinch of salt
- zest of a small orange or mandarin
- Filling:
- 70 g butter
- 50 g brown sugar (or regular)
- 30 g honey
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- a pinch of salt
How to cook cinnamon swirl shortbread cookies
Place the softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt in a bowl and beat until creamy. Add the mandarin or orange zest (the colored part only) along with the egg. Beat until combined.
Turn the dough out and work in the remaining flour, trying not to knead it for too long. You may need a little more or less flour — the dough should be fairly firm yet soft and tender, not stiff with flour. Refrigerate the dough for about 30–60 minutes.
Prepare the filling. Place all the ingredients in a bowl. The butter should be soft and at room temperature; melt the honey if needed. Beat until smooth.
Roll into a tight log, starting from the shorter side. Refrigerate overnight — this is important so the dough firms up properly and slices cleanly.
Comments