Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Rosemary Shortbread

There's nothing quite like the taste of shortbread. And shortbread is one of those things that holds a fond memory for me. Every time we would travel overseas when I was younger, and we'd have any kind of layover in England or Scotland, my father would rush to the nearest little airport store and buy multiple packages of Walkers Scottish Shortbread. Even now, when I see that familiar red package, I get that old nostalgic feeling.

In this month's Herb Quarterly magazine, there was a lovely recipe for Rosemary Shortbread. I immediately bookmarked it as a "make soon" recipe. Rosemary gives the shortbread a lovely flavor, although I'm sure you could substitute any other fresh herbs you have on hand.

Rosemary Shortbread

Rosemary Shortbread
1 c flour
1/4 c plus 1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour, 1/4 c sugar, and salt into a medium bowl. Stir in rosemary. Add the butter and stir with a fork, or use your fingers to make a soft dough. Divide the dough in half and pat into 2 thin 6" discs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut each disc into 8 wedges. Prick each wedge with a fork, and sprinkle the remaining sugar over the dough. Bake the shortbread until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Re-cut the wedges after removing from the oven, and cool completely on a baking rack.

101 comments:

Special Sauce said...

For some odd reason, when you mentioned this, I was thinking savory... but I think the sweet could be a lot of fun. Already my mind races with other fun spice combos, and shortbread is so dead simple to make... thanks for the idea!

Special Sauce said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Your dad was so right about Walkers shortbread - no other brand matches up to it. How did this recipe compare from the point of view of texture? I have rosemary in my garden and may be obliged to make some later on today.

Anonymous said...

A lot of your recipes call for white flour and white sugar. How about trying some healthier alternatives like whole wheat flour and honey?

Fiber said...

Sauce - it's actually quite fantastic. The rosemary is not overpowering at all.

Christie - of course nothing is as good as the original stuff, but this recipe is pretty fantastic!

Anon - thanks for the comment. Actually, if you go through most of my recipes for baked goods, you'll notice I use a lot of wheat flour, flax seed meal, honey, brown sugar, and molasses. I try and stay away from white flour and sugar as much as possible.

Special Sauce said...

Sometimes there is simply no workaround for white flour/sugar either- an excess of whole wheat flour makes some recipes too heavy to rise properly, or changes the texture of the finished product in an unappealing manner. Other forms of sweetners can wreak havoc on the moisture content of foods, and can't easily be substituted without recipe modifications.

Like anything else, white sugar and white flour, in moderation, are necessary to a well-rounded diet.
(Off my soapbox now.)

Anonymous said...

whole wheat shortbread, in my opinion, just doesn't work. There are certain things you just shouldn't mess with---shortbread (since it's so simple) is one of them!

this sounds so good. I know the Shaker Village near me makes Rosemary Snaps instead of Ginger Snaps and they are to die for!!! Rosemary really works well in baked goods!

Heather said...

Hi,

I'm a frequent reader of your blog who's now realizing the importance of posting having created my own. I love the look of the rosemary shortbread, I have fresh lavender to use up and am thinking of trying it with lavender. If I do, I'll report back. Thanks for posting!

jasmine said...

So many people think shortbread is for Christmas and the holidays. Glad to read that you've tried an herbal twist :)

j

Catherine said...

Fiber- you are the herb cookie queen! I have a yardfull of rosemary - awesome idea!

Heather said...

I did try the lavender shortbread. You can see the result on my blog -

www.talesfromaveggiekitchen.blogspot.com/2006/06/lavender-shortbread.html

It was definitely a success! Thanks for posting such a great recipe.

Fran said...

Have never tried this type of shortbread. Have fresh rosemary in the yard, so will certainly try this. Thank you for the recipe.

Anonymous said...

Anybody who has rosemary, has a ton of it. We've used it as our front hedge. I do love it and this seems like a terrrific use! Thanks so very much.

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