ChefJohn bakes these with his teen students in our World Cuisine classes. Similar to a French sable with a hint of a Mexican wedding cookie, these buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies bake up like any slice-and-bake variety from your fridge or freezer.
Ingredients
1cupPepitasgreen pumpkin seeds, 112g
8ozUnsalted butter224g
1/2cupGranulated white sugar100g
2/3cupPowdered sugar80g
2Large egg yolks
1tspVanilla extract
2cupsAll purpose flour240g
1tspKosher salt
Instructions
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spread the pepitas in an even layer on one of the sheets and toast in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Cream butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour and mix until you have stiff, uniform dough.
Coarsely chop ¾ of the cooled pepitas, reserving the rest for garnish. Fold the chopped seeds into the dough to gently work the pepitas throughout. Place finished dough on a large sheet of parchment paper and shape into a log approximately 2-3 inches in diameter. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2hours.
Once the dough is chilled through and you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat oven again to 350 F. Slice the dough log into 1/2" thick slices, press the slices into the remaining pepitas and place cookie sheets.
Bake for a little over 20 minutes; finished cookies will be firm and just turning light golden brown on the bottoms.