Biscuit Breton French Shortbread Cookies Recipe 445

Steps:

• 1. In a clean bowl, place 3 egg yolks, the butter, and the sugar. 2. Mix until fluffy. 3. Add in flour and salt, mix well. 4. Turn dough out onto floured surface and form into a ball. Add water, if needed. 5. Wrap dough in parchment paper or plastic wrap, than place in the fridge for 30 minutes. 6. Roll dough out to approximately 1/6"/ 4 mm thick. 7. Using a cookie cutter, preferable a fluted one, cut the dough and place on a baking sheet. 8. Mix water and egg yolk, then brush each cookie with the mixture. 9. Using a fork, drag the tips across the top of the cookies, making a criss-cross pattern. 10. Bake at 350F/180C for 10-12 minutes.

Steps:

• Sift both flours, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed until doubled in volume and pale yellow, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the butter in four parts, beating until completely combined after each, 1 to 2 minutes total. With the mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, beating until combined.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half, and flatten into disks; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Generously dust a large piece of parchment paper with flour. Place one disk of dough in the center, and roll out to slightly thicker than 1/4 inch. To prevent sticking while rolling, occasionally run a large offset spatula under dough, and add more flour to the top or bottom. Transfer parchment and dough to a baking sheet; chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk. (You can stack sheets of dough in the freezer.)
• Remove one sheet of dough and parchment from the freezer, and transfer to a clean work surface. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps; roll out again and cut out more rounds. In a small bowl, whisk together the whole egg and 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of rounds. Let stand 5 minutes and brush again. Using a paring knife, score each round in a shallow lattice pattern, making sure not to cut all the way through the dough. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are amber on top and deeply golden around the edges, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer parchment and cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
• After each round of dough is brushed with egg wash, a sharp paring knife is used to score a decorative diamond pattern on the top.