By Rachel

Whether you’re a Ken and your job is Beach or you’re just here for camp, a sweet treat is in order! These sand-colored shortbread cookies are easy to customize, freeze, and are sure to keep you going for boogie boarding, camp crafts, and FOOOOOOD FIGHTS!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup (2 sticks/8 oz) unsalted butter – vegan butter or margarine work just as well!
  • 1 teaspoon salt (sea salt to stay on brand if you can!)
  • 3/4 cup (1.25 oz) granulated sugar
  • 2 cups (16 oz) all purpose flour
  • optional add-ins: vanilla extract, finely chopped herbs (I used rosemary in the cookies pictured here), chocolate chunks/chips, dried fruit, sprinkles, citrus zest, etc.
  • parchment paper
  • baking sheet
  • medium-large mixing bowl
  • silicone spatula
  • wooden spoon (use your handheld or stand mixer if you’d prefer)
  • air tight container for storage

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Cream butter, sugar, and salt together in the bowl. Use the wooden spoon for this or your mixer. Mix until the sugar and salt are fully incorporated into the butter and the mixture is light and fluffy. If you’d like to add in any of the optional items listed above, now is the time! I love using finely chopped herbs or citrus zest in these cookies. Just be sure that whatever you add is chopped into relatively fine pieces. If you’re adding chocolate chips/chunks or sprinkles, add them sparingly. You can add some more when you shape your cookies!

Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix until fully incorporated.

Use the silicone spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the sides of the bowl and scoop the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper.

I like to fold in both long sides of the sheet and gently roll back and forth to form a cylinder of the dough. You might need to use your hands, too, just be warned that this dough will heat up quickly! I usually start shaping through the parchment paper first then will use my hands at the end. If you’d like to add more toppings, spread them onto the parchment paper and gently roll your dough cylinder through. This method works especially well for sprinkles. If you’d like to add more chocolate, see the suggestion at the end of the recipe.

Alternately, you can roll the dough into approximately 1.5-inch beach balls and press with a cookie stamp or the sugar-coated base of a glass to shape.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the freezer or 2 hours in the refrigerator.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 300°F.

If you’ve made a dough cylinder, slice into cookies no thinner than ¼ inch (1/2 cm) thick.

Bake on a parchment paper (or silicone baking mat)-lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes. You can also bake on an ungreased baking sheet.

Watch the shortbreads closely as they bake–be sure to set a timer! I usually set it for 15 minutes and check them. They’re done with the edges are a light golden color and the bottoms look like sand.

When you remove from the oven, allow them to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool compleltely.

If you’re like me and need to add some extra chocolate, I suggest melting some in a small bowl and drizzling on top of the shortbreads once they’re cool. You can then sprinkle what ever you’d like onto the chocolate while it’s still melted. I used Himalayan salt on the batch shown here. So good!

Store your Sandy Shortbreads in an airtight container and enjoy!These sandy shortbreads will bring the fun of the sand right to your kitchen. Enjoy playing in the sand, even if it’s just with these!