Vanilla Bean Cookies

It’s so easy, in the days before Christmas, to get caught up in the rush of decorating and gift-buying and forget the simple, yet important, meaning of the holiday. Likewise, there are certain ingredients used in baking that are so basic and elemental we take them for granted, and forget just how valuable (in a real, not just monetary, sense) they are. I’m thinking of vanilla. We put it in just about everything without a second thought, and even tend to think of it as a bit “boring.” But the next time you add it to a recipe, take a sniff—its aroma, at once delicate and intoxicating, will remind you why vanilla is so essential.

Vanilla comes from the pod of an orchid native to Mexico, and now grown throughout the tropics. The orchids must be pollinated by a certain species of bee, or hand pollinated, in order to produce seed pods. The pods are cured after harvesting, in order to develop the flavor—the whole process is both time- and labor-intensive, which is why vanilla costs so much. It deserves to take center stage, as it does in the easy, flavorful cookie recipe below.

If you love to cook and bake, as I do, you might just have some vanilla beans in your pantry, bought with the intention of doing “something special” with them. Well, there’s no time like the present—try this recipe. And please take a moment for yourself, to sit, relax, and enjoy the spirit of the holidays. Have a very merry Christmas.

Ann
Ann Clark, Ltd.


Vanilla Bean Cookies
Makes about 24 cookies
This recipe makes a generous amount of dough, just right for a big batch of holiday cookies. If you are decorating these cookies with royal icing, you may want to purchase clear vanilla extract, which will flavor the icing without changing the color. Don’t throw away the empty vanilla pod; you can place them it a jar with granulated sugar to make vanilla sugar.

Whisk together and set aside:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt

Beat together until light and fluffy:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups sugar

Add and beat to incorporate:
- 1 large egg
- 1 vanilla bean, split open (scrape seeds into butter mixture)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Add and mix thoroughly:
- Flour mixture from above

Add, if dough seems dry:
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Mix until ingredients are incorporated. Divide dough into two disks, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350º. Roll dough out on a lightly floured counter to 1/4-inch thickness and cut with your favorite Ann Clark, Ltd. Cookie Cutters, then transfer cookies onto cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or silicone liners. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly colored. Let cookies cool slightly on cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating with royal icing.

My favorite shapes for Vanilla Bean Cookies include the Santa cookie cutter, the Sleigh cookie cutter, the Reindeer cookie cutter, and the Tree cookie cutter.