It’s become a little tradition of mine to bake Christmas gifts for family and friends. I have to admit, homemade gifts are a lot of time and effort, but the joy I get from seeing someone enjoy something I’ve made pales in comparison to the sweat that goes into it! There are an endless amount of ideas as to what to give for the holidays, but this year I decided to be traditional and make cookies. During the few days left leading up to Christmas I’ll share with you the trio of cookies I made for my gift box. Here is this first, my favorite rosemary shortbread.
I came across this recipe earlier this year and have made them several times with success since. The shortbread is slightly sweet and pairs nicely with the savory flavors of rosemary. Nutty and fragrant, it’s a great inclusion to an otherwise sweet-sweet-sweet cookie box. The dough is easy to put together and can easily made into different shapes. Here I’ve cut them into small coins, but I’ve also made them bigger and have also even just pressed into a free-form round, all with great results. Although I’ve included them in a cookie box, I also imagine them going well on a cheese plate at a holiday part, or as a light before-meal nibble with drinks. The cookie can stand alone, but can also work well paired with others. It’s versatility and flavor is why I’ve come back to it so often.
It’s such an easy recipe that I hope some of you are inspired to include it to your holiday prep. It’s so simple that, yes!, it can be shimmied in at the last minute three days before Christmas.
Rosemary Shortbread this Christmas
- Total Time: 1 1/2 hours
- Yield: Varies depending on cookie size
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
Description
A buttery shortbread with savory rosemary notes.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup (280 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons (35 g) honey
3 1/2 cups (430 g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon (18 g) baking powder
2 teaspoons (6 g) salt
2 1/2 tablespoons (12.5 g) fresh rosemary, chopped
Instructions
1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and rosemary together.
2. In another bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and honey together. Once the butter is light and fluffy, add the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix until the dough comes together. Divide into two rounds. Wrap and chill for 2-3 hours, overnight, or up to 3 days. It can also be frozen for a month.
3. Preheat oven to 340 degrees F or 170 degrees C.
4. Bring the dough out of the fridge 30 minutes before rolling. Once the dough is workable, roll to the desired thickness (I like to roll mine between 3mm and 4mm). Cut out as many cookies as possible. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving about 3cm between each cookie. Combine scraps and reroll.
5. Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of cookies. The cookies are done when the top is golden brown and the bottom is a little tan.
Notes
Adapted from Homemade.
Keywords: rosemary, shortbread, cookies, holiday, baking
christina says
Would love to have received some of these for Christmas! Very pretty pictures, and love the twine.
Jessica says
Christina- Thanks! I love that twine too! It just gives the perfect Christmas vibe.
Billy says
can’t wait for the other recipes and to shimmy some more!
Jessica says
Billy- Yay!! The post will be up very very soon!
saucy ganders says
Love the idea of shimmying into Christmas cookies! We are making a cheesy shortbread-type cookie tomorrow! 😀
Jessica says
Saucy Ganders- Ooh, what type are you making?!
Two Red Bowls says
These are too adorable. And I bet you’re so right that they’d be such a perfect addition to a cheese plate!
Jessica says
Two Red Bowls- Thanks so much! I’ve made bigger ones, but this little coin sized variation is my favorite.
michelle says
These are just so pretty! Remember when you made cookies for everyone years ago, and you had a list of people to make cookies for? And on that list was “Andrew” and I was like “Who’s Andrew?” Haha
Jessica says
Michelle- Haha that was funny!
Vivienne says
Ooohhh this is the most delicious xmas gift idea I’ve seen this holiday season Jess! I’ve pondered long and hard what to make for my friends – ended up making granola haha but I’m def going to be trying this recipe next week – i also bought those letter imprints thing from japan lately so looking forward to put it to use to 🙂