Sometimes you just need a break from chocolate.  Or at least I've been told this....ha!!  

Now, our Christmas baking tends to feature A LOT of chocolate.  Apparently there are people out there that aren't huge fans of chocolate?  And we aim to please!  But seriously, sometimes it's good to mix it up, and this rosemary shortbread is like a breath of fresh air.

To be honest this flavour combo might freak some people out since rosemary is often paired more with savoury dishes.  All I can say is...be brave!  It might take a couple of cookies before they start to grow on you, but trust me and give them a go!  The shortbread just melts in your mouth (thank you butter!), and the rosemary gives it such an interesting piney flavour.

We love growing our own herbs, and rosemary is one of the most hardy!  Our plant is still going strong despite the cooler temperatures, and I always love being able to use our own ingredients whenever possible (hello...farm girl here!).

rosemary shortbread

recipe slightly adapted from: Abigail - allrecipes
yields: approx. 3 dozen

Directions: 

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well mixed.

Stir in the chopped rosemary, flour and salt.

Use your hands to bring the dough together to form a log with a diameter of about 1.5-2 inches across.  You can choose to make yours square or round, but we find that ours always flattens on the bottoms as you chill it, so squares/rectangles are the easiest.

Cover your log with plastic wrap, and chill for about an hour.

Use a large knife to cut the dough into 1/4-inch thick slices.  Place cookie slices on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle a bit of white sugar on top for decoration (this adds a lovely sparkle and texture to your cookies!).

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.  The cookies will start to get slightly brown on the bottom.  Cool and serve!

*When in doubt of whether they're done or not, we like to bake our shortbread just a little longer, rather than shorter.  This ensures that they really melt in your mouth instead of being a bit gummy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons chopped, fresh rosemary

2  3/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

white sugar - for decorating tops

I hope you've been busy baking up a storm for Christmas....but if you haven't, it's never too late!

-Kelsey