Gourmet's Vanilla Bean Cookies

Total Time: 5 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 5 hrs Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 36
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided,approximately
• 2 whole vanilla beans
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 cream together the butter, chilled shortening, and 3/4 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
• 2 with a sharp knife halve vanilla beans lengthwise, then scrape the seeds directly into the butter mixture, mixing to combine.
• 3 beat in egg and vanilla extract until combined well.
• 4 sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture and mix until just combined.
• 5 set a large sheet of waxed paper on a flat surface.
• 6 set dough onto the waxed paper and form dough into a 10x2" log.
• 7 roll up dough log in wax paper, seal ends with rubber bands, and chill until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days (stick wrapped log into a plastic ziptop baggie to keep from drying out).
• 8 preheat oven to 375 degrees f.
• 9 pour remaining 1/4 cup sugar onto a shallow platter.
• 10 remove wax paper and roll dough log in sugar (not all sugar will stick).
• 11 cut dough into rounds,1/4" thick.
• 12 dip the cut sides of each cookie round into the remaining sugar on platter (add a little extra sugar if you need more).
• 13 arrange cookies 1/2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake one batch at a time in the middle of your oven 10-12 minutes, or until edges are a very pale golden brown.
• 14 remove baked cookies to wire racks to cool.