Vanilla-Chai Icebox Shortbread Cookies

Servings: 3-4 dozen




Ingredients:2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large egg yolks

1 medium vanilla bean



Icing:

1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

More vanilla bean seed scraping, if desired

1 tablespoon water



Cooking Directions:In a large bowl, sift or whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, allspice and cardamom. Set aside.

Combine butter, sugar, honey and salt in a bowl. Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until smooth.

Using a small knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise in half. Scrape the seeds from both sides of the pod with the tip of the knife and add them to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat to combine.

Add in flour-spice mixture, 1 cup at a time, blending until fully incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and transfer each half to a sheet of wax paper. Using the wax paper, shape into a 12-inch log, rectangle or square. Chill logs at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350ºF with an oven rack in the middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

With a sharp knife, cut logs into 1/8-inch-thick slices and arrange 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned around edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.



In a small bowl, whisk together icing ingredients until smooth and transfer to a sealable plastic bag. Cut an 1/8-inch opening in one corner of bag. Arrange cookies as close together as possible on sheets of wax paper and drizzle icing decoratively across the tops.