Easy and Buttery Apple Fennel Shortbread Cookies are a perfect fall Cookies recipe. These Shortbread Cookies have a buttery taste with a perfect bite of Apple and a chewiness due to the fennel seeds. These have just the right amount of sweetness and every cookie leaves you wanting more.
I have been thinking of baking Shortbread cookies for the longest time. This is my first ever attempt at baking Shortbread cookies and I think I did a pretty good job. I love traditional Scottish Shortbread cookies. They are the right amount of soft and crunchy and melts in your mouth because of the butter! Although nothing beats the simple Shortbread Cookies, today, I tried infusing some fall flavors into it and made these Apple Fennel Shortbread Cookies.
Let's talk about taste!
I know! you're dying to know how these actually taste! Well, these are seriously good and I mean roll your eyes back Gooo-oood! No, seriously, the buttery taste of these Apple Fennel Shortbread Cookies is to die for.
Top that with the chewiness of Fennel seeds, you don't even have an after flavor which feels too sour. These cookies really feel light, soft and so buttery!
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You can really feel like having 10 cookies and still feel that you've only had one! Told ya, it's that good 🙂
Here are the steps for an Easy Apple Fennel Shortbread Cookies
So, first, we start by creaming the butter and sugar together. I have used brown sugar and salted butter. You can use granulated sugar or unsalted butter as well. However, it works fine with any kind of butter and sugar. You just have to use a handheld mixer and blend it until it looks creamy! It'll first get crumbly and very soon it'll get creamy.
Next, to this add a cup of whole wheat flour, along with some Corn starch, a drop of Vanilla essence, some finely chopped apple chunks, some fennel seeds, and mix it all together using a silicone spatula.
Just mix everything together with any spoon or spatula you have at home. Do not use a handheld mixer or stand mixer for this step. You can easily do it with your hands.
Bring it all down to your board and knead into a soft dough. It might look messy and difficult, but trust me it isn't. All you have to do is try to make a dough ball. Try to bring everything together and make a ball. After you've got a dough ball, knead it to get a soft dough!
Get an 8by8 inches baking tray lined with parchment paper and put the dough in it. Now just use your hands or the back of a cup to spread the dough in the baking tray. I think hands work the best here and if you see there's a lot of fingerprints, just press it with the back of your palm and it'll look smooth enough.
Now, the most important step - use a fork to poke holes in the dough. Or else the dough will rise up because of the butter and you will never have your shortbread cookies ready. So, poke holes and then bake them.
Bake your cookies at 160 C or 320 F for 30 minutes or until the sides appear slightly brown.
Once baked, get it out and cool it for 5 minutes. Get the parchment paper out and cut out your shortbread cookies. You can use any cookie cutter you have or give it any shape. I have given them square shapes like a brownie. You can go for a rectangular shape or circular or any shape you want your Shortbread cookies to be.
Finally, allow the cookies to cool down completely on the parchment paper itself and then separate them.
How to store Shortbread Cookies
Storing Shortbread cookies is not a problem. You can store these in the freezer for 3-4 weeks. Keep them in an air-tight container and they'll be fine. Also, if storing at room temperature, then store them in an airtight container. Or else they'll soften.
Although I doubt, you'll get to store your Shortbread cookies. If you can, I am so jealous right now! They are so good that they never last an hour in my home 🙂
How to get crisp shortbread cookies
Crisp Shortbread cookies like the Scottish shortbread cookies are made with shortening. So, they turn out to be so crisp. They are different than the regular shortbread cookies. However, these cookies still will be soft and buttery.
How to re-heat Shortbread Cookies
If your Shortbread Cookies get soft, then heat the oven to 140 C or 300 F and pop in the cookies for 3-4 minutes. Enjoy them fresh from the oven!
Eggless Apple Fennel Shortbread Cookies
INGREDIENTS
- ½ Cup Butter room temperature
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 tablespoon Corn Starch
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Essence
- 1 tablespoon Fennel seeds
- ½ Cup Apples minced
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until creamy
- Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C
- To it add the flour, corn starch, vanilla essence, chopped apples, and fennel seeds. Mix everything together using a silicone spatula or wooden spatula.
- Get everything down on a board and try to make a small dough ball. It'll be crumbly but when you hold it together it'll stick because of the moisture from the butter. So, try and make a small dough ball. Once you have a ball ready, knead it nicely into a soft cookie dough.
- Place the dough on the baking tray and flatten it all around the tray using your palms.
- Take a fork and poke holes in it.
- Bake your cookies for 30 minutes or until it starts to get brown from the sides. Get the parchment paper out and cut the cookies in any shape you want. For square cookies cut equal shapes. Cut the cookies while they are still warm.
- Allow the cookies to cool down for 1-2 hours before you separate them and enjoy them. Keep them covered while they are cooling or else they'll soften.
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Notes
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