Shortbread cookies.

Method :

• 1)

  In a bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla together. Then, add the lightly beaten room-temperature egg. Once the mixture is smooth and homogeneous, incorporate the flour, ground almonds, and a pinch of fleur de sel. Mix until you have a uniform dough.

  Divide the shortcrust pastry into two, form two balls, wrap one in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for one hour.

  Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the second half of the dough, kneading it for a few minutes until the cinnamon is fully incorporated. Form a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for one hour.

• 2)

  Flour your work surface, then roll out the vanilla dough to a thickness of 3mm using a rolling pin. If necessary, add a little flour to prevent the dough from sticking.

  Using a round cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Make small holes in half of the round cookies using a cookie cutter with a smaller diameter. Place your cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a perforated baking mat. It is very important to separate the round cookies from those with holes during baking.

  Bake in a preheated oven at 165°C fan, cooking your cookies for 8 minutes (for the cookies with holes) to 11 minutes (for the whole cookies) or until they are golden. Turn the baking sheet after the first half of the cooking time to ensure perfect and even baking.

  The cooking temperature and times are provided as a guideline and may vary depending on your oven.

• 3)

  Once baked and golden, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, dust the cookies with holes with icing sugar. Fill the whole cookies with jam (here, we’ve used strawberry jam, but you can use your favorite one), then place the cookie with holes (previously dusted with icing sugar) on top.

  These cookies keep very well in an airtight container for more than a week, as long as they are not filled with jam.

• 4)

  In a plate, mix the brown sugar with the 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and set aside.

  Roll out the cinnamon shortcrust pastry with a rolling pin to a thickness of 3mm and cut out cookies with a cookie cutter of your choice (here, I used a snowflake cutter).

  Place the cookie in the sugar-cinnamon mixture, turn it over, then place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a perforated baking mat. The coated side facing up.

  Bake in a preheated oven at 165°C fan for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies are cooked and golden. Turn the baking sheet after the first half of the baking time to ensure even baking.

  The temperature and baking time are for guidance only; this will depend on your oven.

  Once the cookies are baked, remove the tray from the oven and let the cookies cool for a few minutes before handling them and placing them on a wire rack.

  The cookies keep very well for 15 days in an airtight container.

  Enjoy !!