Sour Cream Shortbread Recipe

Did you know that French butter is often considered best for baking because of its low water content, resulting in a better texture for baking? Beurremont butter, a traditional French butter, is one of the only butters made in the USA that is high in butterfat like it’s French counterpart. Beurremont is made without aging the cream or adding cultures to it, giving it a sweet flavor. It’s also low in moisture, resulting in a rich creamy profile that’s perfect for cooking and baking. So perfect, Team USA uses it as their official butter in the Bocuse d’Or Competition—notoriously the most challenging cooking competition in the world.

Great for decadent recipes, or when you need an extra hint of buttery flavor, it works especially well in our Director of Pastry Operations Chef Jansen Chan’s Sour Cream Shortbread recipe. As he puts it, “Buerremont Butter is a great brand to incorporate in many types of recipes; it has a complex culture flavor balanced with a rich butterfat taste.”

Learn how you can make this quick recipe below, and many thanks to our Pastry Plus Gold Sponsor Beurremont Butter and Paris Gourmet for their support.

YOU WILL NEED...

• 2 cup butter, unsalted
• 3 1/3 cup flour, all-purpose
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz. sour cream
• Additional sugar, as needed

PROCEDURES

Cut butter into cubes and keep at room temperature until firm, but not soft.

Place butter cubes, flour, sugar and salt into a mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment.

Mix at a low speed until mixture is very fine and crumbly, about 7-9 minutes. The dough should be able to hold together as crumbs when squeezed together. There should not be any visible butter chunks.

Press the dough into a parchment lined half-sheet tray.

Wrap the sheet tray of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Remove from refrigerator and spread sour cream evenly on top.

Bake for an hour, or until medium brown on top.

Sprinkle the top generously with sugar while the shortbread is still warm.

With a serrated knife, and while the shortbread is still warm, cut into two-inch square pieces.

Allow to cool and enjoy!

This blog post was originally published by the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. Explore your pastry education where the legacy lives on.