Rosemary Lemon Shortbread

Its December, and even if you are fully celebrating Advent and doing your best not to get pulled into Christmas craziness just yet, you will probably find yourself baking and/or eating cookies!

Monday is a professional development day for the staff at the virtual school I work for. Normally not too exciting, but since the school is virtual, I will be meeting many of my colleagues in person for the first time. We are also having a cookie exchange!

I decided to make my number one favorite cookie of all time; rosemary shortbread. This may sound a little strange to some people, but it is amazing! I think they are wonderful for Christmas as well because the rosemary is reminiscent of pine trees. The buttery cookie studded with aromatic rosemary and just the right touch of sweetness is in my mind, perfection.




This time around I decided to add another special touch with the addition of some lemon zest. Rosemary and lemon go very well together, so why not? If you want to add extra lemon flavor try adding a little lemon extract. They are delicious fresh out of the oven, but taste even better a few days later.

Rosemary Lemon Shortbread

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
zest of 1 lemon
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

 

 

 
1.  In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour salt, lemon zest and rosemary until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour
2.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out cookies with a cookie cutter and place cookies 1 inch apart on the lined cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool on wire racks, and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!