Slice and Bake Brown Butter Sage Shortbread Cookies

These little shortbread cookies are so much fun! They're delicate, tender, and melt in your mouth. I promise you, I could literally gobble all of this dough up in one sitting; it smells so divine! Browned butter, or liquid gold as I like to call it, is the star of the show here and I've kicked it up a notch by incorporating sage. If you're intimidated by browned butter, don't be! As long as you take it slowly, you'll be sure to have the perfect liquid gold. The cookies are very easy to make; without a whole lot of fuss. Slice and bake cookies are really easy to make!

Ingredients

• Browned Butter-I refer to this as liquid gold because it is just so decadent. The flavor is deep, nutty, caramelized, and slightly thickened
• Sage-a pungent, highly fragrant herb that adds warmth to the cookies
• Flour-binds all of the other ingredients together
• Vanilla bean paste-adds a touch of vanilla flavor
• Confectioners Sugar-fine sugar that sweetens the cookies
• Salt-balances out all of the flavors and keeps the cookies from being too sweet

Equipment

• Electric Mixer with paddle or blade attachment-to mix up cookies in a flash
• Small saucepan- to make the browned butter
• Measuring Spoons/cups-to perfectly measure the amount of flour, powdered sugar, and salt
• Baking sheet- to cook slice and bake cookies in the oven
• Parchment paper- for lining the baking sheet with
• Plastic wrap- to roll the cookies into a cylindrical shape
• Cutting board-to protect your surface when slicing the cookies
• Sharp knife-for slicing the slightly hardened dough
• Optional freezer safe container or plastic bags

What is classic shortbread?

These simple cookies are traditional Scottish cookies that have a round shape and are made of basic ingredients. These include one part sugar, two parts butter, and three to four parts of wheat flour. Nowadays there are so many ways to make this simple cookie some variations include the addition of chocolate chips, lemon zest, orange zest, and even coconut.

How to make browned butter (with sage)

Making browned butter can be a fragile process so if it's your first time, take it slowly. The process, however, is very simple.

1. In a small pan, melt the desired amount of butter. Immediately once melted, add the sage. You should be able to smell the aroma shortly after this step.
2. Over medium-low heat continue to simmer the two together. You should see very small bubbles; if your bubbles start to increase in size, turn down the heat at once.
3. After about 2-3 minutes you should see brown bits starting to collect at the bottom of the pan and the butter should have thickened slightly. You'll know the butter is finished once the butter has turned a rich, golden color and you have many brown bits at the bottom.
4. Once you have gotten to this stage, turn the heat off and remove the pan from the heat right away.
5. Let the butter cool completely, before starting the cookies. Making the browned butter can be done a day in advance if desired. This will cut down the amount of time significantly.

How to make Slice and Bake Cookies

You will need an electric mixer for this recipe; it's part of the reason the cookies come together so quickly.

1. Make the browned butter, transfer it to a small bowl, and let it cool. You can use cold butter for this step if need be.
2. Set out all of your ingredients and equipment, pre-measure them ahead of time.
3. Make sure you preheat your oven. Once you're ready, all there is to do is add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer affixed with a paddle attachment and mix at medium speed until smooth. Alternatively, use a hand mixer for the same effect.
4. Unfold your shortbread cookie dough onto the counter.
5. You will need a large piece of plastic wrap to create a cylinder-like shape for the cookies. Using clean hands, quickly form the dough into a ball and then add it to the plastic wrap.
6. Bring the sides of the plastic wrap up and gently press the dough while rolling and forming the dough into a cylinder. Your hands will only touch the dough through the plastic wrap at this point. Take your time with this step and keep rolling and pressing until your desired shape is reached.
7. The next step is to let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then you're ready to slice and bake! Right before slicing, let the dough sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes. The shortbread dough should be very cold but not frozen.
8. If you'd like to add a fun little imprint, you can achieve that with a fork and butter knife or any straight edge. Just slice the cookies using a sharp knife first. I used a butter knife for the stem, and the fork to mimic the veins of the leaf. The baking time for these cookies is 18-20 minutes at 375 degrees. They should be slightly golden brown. Once the baked cookies are done, you may place the on a cooling rack but this is purely optional.

Can I freeze slice and bake cookie dough?

Yes! You most certainly can, and I'm going to share the best way of doing so. You will need a sharp knife, parchment paper, and some freezer-safe plastic bags or a freezer-safe container large enough to hold the dough slice. Once you've rolled the cookie dough into a cylinder, place the cookie dough logs into the refrigerator to let it cool slightly. After 5-10 minutes, remove the roll from the refrigerator and slice into ½ inch cookies (it's ok to eyeball the measurement). Use parchment paper to separate each layer of slices. Once all of the dough has been sliced and separated, place them into your freezer-safe container of choice for up to 2 months. To thaw, simply unpack each layer and let them sit on the counter for approximately 1 hour. You'll know they're ready when you can easily poke a fork or toothpick through the center. Don't forget to preheat your oven before baking!

TIPS

-Let the dough sit on the counter for 5-7 minutes before slicing

-To speed up the process when browning the butter, you can make sure it has softened first

-Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week

-Leave the butter to simmer on its own without frequent stirring

-Always preheat your oven

Enjoy these Slice and Bake Brown Butter Sage Shortbread Cookies!

If you make this recipe please rate and review on the recipe card below. I would love for you to tag me on Instagram @belovedplate! https://www.instagram.com/belovedplate/

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