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    Home » Recipes » Cookies

    Sweet & Herby Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

    Published: Mar 19, 2018 · Modified: Sep 2, 2023 by Emily Laurae · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Shortbread isn’t just for holidays anymore. These summer-inspired Rosemary Shortbread cookies are packed with mouth-watering aromatic, sweet, and salty flavors. It’s a simple 6-ingredient and 3-step recipe!

    Rosemary Shortbread on marble.
    Jump to:
    • ⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 
    • 🍴Ingredients
    • 📖 Step by Step Instructions
    • ⏲️ Substitutions & Variations
    • ❓ Do you have to chill the cookie dough?
    • 🔥 Baking Shortbread to Perfection
    • ❄️ Storing shortbread cookies
    • Looking for more easy cookie recipes?
    • Sweet & Herby Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
    • 💬 Comments

    ⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

    It doesn’t get much easier than Rosemary Shortbread when it comes to homemade cookies. Just as buttery and rich as your classic Christmas shortbread, this herby variation is packed with fresh rosemary and a sprinkling of sea salt to elevate each bite. Perfect for year-round snacking!

    Rosemary has a habit of releasing luscious-smelling oils and infusing light herbaceous flavors into baked goods. Just take my Rosemary Dark Chocolate Tart and Rosemary Salted Caramel Macarons for example! The fresh rosemary not only adds to the presentation but also helps each bite taste divine and elegant.

    Whether you're an avid gardener or accidentally bought too much rosemary, these summery cookies are the perfect way to use up all of your leftovers. They may sound fancy, but they’re easy to make in just 3 simple steps using only 6 ingredients. You can even keep a batch in the freezer for emergency cookie cravings!

    Rosemary Shortbread cookies in circles.

    🍴Ingredients

    • Rosemary - This Mediterranean herb is easy to find in most major grocery stores, farmer's markets, and even growing around west coast neighborhoods in the summer. Fresh rosemary will always give you the best lemony, minty, and aromatic flavors, but if you can’t find it, dried works in a pinch.
    • Flour - All purpose flour will give these cookies a crumbly, tender base. I don’t recommend using any other kind of flour.
    • Unsalted butter - Because the best shortbread cookies are super buttery! Don’t use salted butter or else the shortbread will be way too salty.
    • Powdered sugar - Unlike granulated sugar, powdered sugar melts evenly into the cookie dough to add the perfect amount of sweetness.
    • Egg yolk - This will give the cookies an added richness while binding the rest of the ingredients together.
    • Sea salt - To help round all of the sweet and savory flavors together and complement the herbs.
    Cookies on a marble serving board.

    📖 Step by Step Instructions

    Step 1: Make the shortbread dough. Add the powdered sugar, butter, egg yolk, sea salt, chopped rosemary, and flour to a food processor. Pulse until the dough just comes together.
    Step 2: Freeze and shape the cookies. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a thick disk, wrap in plastic, and place in the freezer. Once firm, roll the dough into slabs and use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles. Place them back in the freezer to set once more.
    Step 3: Bake, cool, and enjoy. Bake the rosemary shortbread cookies until they just barely start to brown on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow them to cool on a wire rack before serving and enjoying!

    ⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

    Don’t just stop at the rosemary! These herb shortbread cookies can be enhanced with even more complimentary add-ins, like:

    • Lemon zest
    • Smoked sea salt
    • Culinary lavender & fresh herbs
    • Parmesan cheese

    If you’re making this shortbread recipe without the rosemary, feel free to get creative with even more add-ins. These are a few of my favorites:

    • Brown butter
    • Ground nuts
    • Vanilla extract
    • Citrus zest (grapefruit and lemon are my favorites)
    • Sage
    • Rose water
    Rosemary Shortbread cookies.

    ❓ Do you have to chill the cookie dough?

    Flash freezing the rosemary cookie dough before baking is crucial as the cold temperature will solidify all of the butter. If you skip the freeze, the cookies will spread in the oven and lose their round shape and tender texture.

    🔥 Baking Shortbread to Perfection

    Another trick to successful shortbread cookies is to make sure you do not over-bake them! Tender, buttery shortbread cookies that melt in your mouth is the goal. Making sure your oven temperature is set accurately is imperative.

    I am a huge advocate of purchasing an oven thermometer in order to make sure that your oven temperature is accurate. While baking, if you start to see even the slightest browning near the bottom or top of your shortbread, it's time to remove them from the oven, transfer them to a cooling rack, and allow them to cool.

    ❄️ Storing shortbread cookies

    To store baked cookies: Keep the leftover rosemary shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

    To store raw shortbread dough: Leave the wrapped shortbread dough in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. You could also roll the cookie dough into a log and, when it’s time to bake, just slice off a few rounds and bake!

    Butter cookies flavored with rosemary.

    Looking for more easy cookie recipes?

    • Matcha cookies with white chocolate chips.
      Easy No-Chill Bakery-Style Matcha White Chocolate Cookies
    • Lemon white chocolate chip cookies on parchment.
      How to Bake Zesty Lemon and White Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Cookie butter cookies on a plate with cookie butter and flaky salt on top.
      Easy Biscoff Cookie Butter Cookies Recipe (No Chill!)
    • Molasses cookie sandwiches with cream cheese frosting.
      Ginger Molasses Cookie Sandwiches with Cream Cheese Filling

    If you try the recipe for Rosemary Shortbread, please leave a 🌟 review and share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter! 📧 

    Rosemary shortbread cookies.

    Sweet & Herby Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

    Shortbread isn’t just for holidays anymore. These summer-inspired Rosemary Shortbread cookies are packed with mouth-watering aromatic, sweet, and salty flavors. It’s a simple 6-ingredient and 3-step recipe!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 11 minutes minutes
    Freezing Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 1 minute minute
    Servings: 20 Cookies
    Calories: 303kcal
    Author: Emily Laurae

    Equipment

    • Food Processor
    • Knife
    • Cutting Board
    • Plastic Wrap
    • Parchment Paper
    • Baking Sheets
    • Cookie Cutters
    • Cooling Rack

    Ingredients

    • 142 g (1 Cup & 2.5 Tbsp) Powdered Sugar
    • 255 g (1 Cup & 2 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
    • 1 Egg Yolk
    • ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
    • 1 Tablespoon Rosemary, Chopped
    • 326 g (2 ⅔ cups) All-Purpose Flour

    Instructions

    • Combine all ingredients, other than your flour and rosemary, in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
      142 g Powdered Sugar, 255 g Unsalted Butter, 1 Egg Yolk, ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
    • Using a knife and cutting board, chop your rosemary finely and add to your weighed-out flour.
      1 Tablespoon Rosemary, 326 g All-Purpose Flour
    • Pour flour mixture into the food processor and pulse until the dough just comes together.
    • Separate the dough into two portions and shape it into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and set it in the freezer for about twenty minutes.
    • Remove disks from the freezer once they've slightly firmed. Taking two pieces or parchment paper, place one piece of parchment below the dough and one on top. Roll out your dough to ¼ inch and cut into circles using a cookie cutter.
    • Freeze shortbread for at least 20 minutes until frozen, and preheat the oven to 330 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Bake the cookies for 8-11 minutes, making sure that you take them out of the oven before you see too much browning occur.
    • Allow your cookies to cool on a cooling rack once baked

    Notes

    Do you have to chill the cookie dough?
    • Flash freezing the rosemary cookie dough before baking is crucial as the cold temperature will solidify all of the butter. If you skip the freeze, the cookies will spread in the oven and lose their round shape and tender texture.
    Baking Shortbread to Perfection
    • Another trick to successful shortbread cookies is to make sure you do not over-bake them! Tender, buttery shortbread cookies that melt in your mouth is the goal. Making sure your oven temperature is set accurately is imperative. I am a huge advocate of purchasing an oven thermometer in order to make sure that your oven temperature is accurate. While baking, if you start to see even the slightest browning near the bottom or top of your shortbread, it's time to remove them from the oven, transfer them to a cooling rack, and allow them to cool.
    Storing shortbread cookies
    • To store baked cookies: Keep the leftover rosemary shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
    • To store raw shortbread dough: Leave the wrapped shortbread dough in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. You could also roll the cookie dough into a log and, when it’s time to bake, just slice off a few rounds and bake!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 101mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 558IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
    Enjoyed this recipe?Mention @emilylaurae or tag #emilylaurae!

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    About Emily Laurae

    Emily is the recipe developer, writer, and food photographer behind Emily Laurae. After finishing Pastry School and working as a chef in the restaurant industry, she created this blog to share those skills with home bakers and creators all over the world!

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