• Mix the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and sea salt in a large bowl and stir well until the dry ingredients are combined.
• Transfer the softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on low speed to start out, then increase to medium speed and finally medium high speed until the butter and sugar are well combined. Mix in the pure vanilla extract.
• Pour the flour mixture into the stand mixer with the butter mixture a small amount at a time until it is completely combined. Start on a low speed to prevent the flour from wafting out, then increase to a high speed once it is all incorporated. The mixture will look slightly crumbly at first. Keep mixing until a very thick dough has formed and any little crumbles have been incorporated.
• Divide the dough into two or three parts and form two or three dough logs. These logs can be round or rectangular, depending on the shape of cookie you’re going for. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

  Note: you can also freeze the dough ahead of time. Just be sure to thaw it before baking the cookies.
• When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Transfer the shortbread cookie dough to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to slice dough into ½ inch slices and place dough slices on the prepared baking sheet. Use a fork to poke each dough slice twice. Be sure to leave a couple of inches of space between each slice of dough on the parchment-lined baking sheet to give them room to grow during the baking process.
• Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 9 to 11 minutes (I do 10), until the edges of the cookies are slightly golden brown.
• Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely to room temperature on the baking sheet, or transfer to a wire rack after 10 minutes of cooling.

Dip Them in Chocolate:

• If you’d like chocolate-dipped shortbread, here’s what you do. Transfer the chocolate chips and the butter to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 20-second intervals, stirring well in between each interval, until the chocolate has melted, about 60-80 seconds total.
• Use a butter knife to spread chocolate over half of each cookie and sprinkle with sea salt (if desired) while the chocolate is still wet. I prefer the spreading method over dipping the cookies because shortbread tends to be a bit tender and can crumble fairly easily.
• Refrigerate the cookies on plates or a baking sheet for 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has set up. You can also allow the chocolate to harden at room temperature but it will take longer. Serve and enjoy!