Sous Vide Combi Oven Vacuum Sealers Accessories Recipes

Slow-Cooked Shortbread

Name: Slow-Cooked Shortbread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 285 g (2 cups plus 2 tsp) of all-purpose flour; 120 g (1 cup) of powdered sugar; 0.5 tsp of fine salt; 170 g (12 Tbsp) of unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pats, at cool room temperature; 2 tsp of vanilla extract; 0 of Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Kate Itrich-Williams

April 6, 2023

Shortbread cookies are inherently simple — flour, sugar, and butter are just about the only things you need to make these rich, crumbly cookies. But like most super simple recipes, there are seemingly infinite variations, from shape to flour blend to mix-in to baking method. One thing that all shortbread cookies benefit from is a slow bake in a consistent oven. Since they’re such a crumbly cookie without much in the way of a binder, they need that time for the sugar to melt and bring everything together without getting too deeply browned. That can be challenging to achieve in a traditional oven, but the consistent and precise temperature control of the Anova Precision Oven makes it the perfect baking vessel for shortbread. Because the oven retains so much moisture, we’ve found that our shortbread cookies benefit from a relatively low ratio of butter to flour. When you make the dough in the food processor, which we find to be the easiest and most convenient method, you’ll notice that it looks kind of like a crumbly mess. However, once it is firmly packed into the baking dish, it’ll hold its shape and bake into a delightfully rich cookie that slices easily into perfect shortbread fingers. These cookies are at their best within 48 hours of baking. For longer storage, we recommend freezing in a vacuum seal or high-quality freezer bag with all of the air removed.

Serves

Prep Time

00:15

Cook Time

00:50

3 (1)

139

Ingredients

285 g (2 cups plus 2 tsp)

all-purpose flour

120 g (1 cup)

powdered sugar

½ tsp

fine salt

170 g (12 Tbsp)

unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pats, at cool room temperature

2 tsp

vanilla extract

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Steps

1. Preheat the Oven and Prepare Pan

Rack

Lightly grease an 8-inch square cake pan with butter. Line the bottom and sides with a parchment paper sling.

Sous Vide Mode: Off

Steam: Off

Temp: 275°F

Heat: Rear

2. Make the Dough

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. Add the butter and vanilla. Continue to pulse until the butter is fully incorporated, the mixture turned slightly yellow, and has a sandy texture, about 15 pulses. It should not form into a ball and will appear dry and crumbly. Have faith.

3. Form the Dough

Pour the dough into the prepared pan, then press firmly into the pan with your hands to form a solid, even layer of dough. Sprinkle with flaky salt to taste.

4. First Bake

Rack

Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Sous Vide Mode: Off

Steam: Off

Temp: 275°F

Heat: Rear

00:20 Timer

5. Slice and Dock

Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Using a butter knife, cut the shortbread into 24 bars by slicing it into thirds in one direction, then into eighths the other direction. Use a toothpick to dock each bar 3 or 4 times.

6. Second Bake

Rack

Return to the oven and continue to bake until the shortbread is firm and light golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Sous Vide Mode: Off

Steam: Off

Temp: 275°F

Heat: Rear

00:30 Timer

7. Cool, Slice, and Serve

Remove from the oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack. Let the shortbread cool completely in the pan, then use the parchment to transfer to a cutting board. Slice into bars and serve.