I’m not one to turn away from a dense, butter-packed, chocolate-filled dessert. But my appreciation for herbs can only be underscored by the fact that I try to put them in everything– chicken, eggs, and yes, cookies. These lemon rosemary shortbread cookies are light, airy, and addicting. The bright profile of lemon zest is softened by the muted, earthy tones of rosemary (please excuse the obsessed foodie here). This is the perfect cookie to serve with tea, ice cream, or any meal al fresco.
Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients (adapted from the recipe found here):
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced (we used cracked dry rosemary)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Sanding sugar for rolling (we used rosemary instead!)
Instructions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest, vanilla and egg and beat until incorporated.
In a medium bowl, whisk together both kinds of flour, salt and rosemary. With the mixer on low, gently add dry ingredients into butter mixture. Mix until ingredients are well combined and a stiff dough is formed.
Cut two 12×16 inch pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Divide dough in half placing one half of the dough on each piece of plastic wrap. Use your hands to form two 1 ½ inch diameter logs by gently rolling the dough back and forth.
Open the plastic wrap and sprinkle logs with additional rosemary and roll to coat the logs well. Wrap logs tightly in the wrap, place on baking sheet and freeze logs for 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Remove dough logs from the freezer and remove the wrap. Slice dough into ¼ inch thick slices and place on prepared baking sheets 1 inch apart.
Bake until cookies are just golden at the edges, about 16-18 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on wire racks. Store cookies in an air tight container for up to 4 days. Makes about 36 cookies.
