Thin oatmeal cookies with walnuts

Ingredients:

• 230 g butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups premium flour

Preparation:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the flour, 1 cup ground oats, and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts and mix on low speed until a stiff dough forms. The dough may seem dry at first, but continue mixing, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Stop once the dough is smooth.
3. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the countertop. Scrape the dough from the mixing bowl onto the plastic wrap. Form the dough into a disk about 2.5 cm thick. You can use a plastic spatula to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. Seal the dough in the plastic wrap and refrigerate it to firm up for at least 30 minutes. Cut into diamonds.
4. To bake shortbread wedges, you don't even need to chill the dough. Divide the dough evenly between two 20cm square pans lined with parchment paper, pressing the dough into an even layer. Bake for about 30 minutes at 160°C (320°F). Let the shortbread cookies cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then use the parchment paper to remove them. Cut the shortbread cookies while they're still warm.
5. If using a pastry cutter, generously flour your work surface. If the dough is too stiff to roll easily, gently press the rolling pin into the dough, pressing several times across the entire surface to make it more pliable. Roll the dough to a thickness of 1.5 cm, rolling from the center in all directions. Lift and rotate the rolling pin slightly after each pass, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
   
   
   Cut out the cookies and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2.5 cm apart. You can gather up the scraps and reroll them a couple more times.
6. Bake the cookies for about 1 hour at 150°C. Cool and cut into pieces; drizzle the cookies with melted dark chocolate.
   
   
   If rolling the dough into a log, cut it into discs and arrange it on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies until lightly golden on the bottom and edges, about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. The centers should look dull and feel dry to the touch. Baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the cookies. It may take longer; start with an additional 5 minutes. Let the cookies cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
   
   Shortbread cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week. It's hard to believe they get better, but the buttery flavor really does improve with time.