Rosemary Shortbread cookies have a hint of zesty citrus with a nice balance of herb. Crisp and buttery, you’ll love these easy cookies for holidays or home.
I first tried this flavor at a local bakery and have been obsessed ever since. It’s a great way to elevate your cookie flavor with hint of lemon and herb.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Taste & Texture: crisp and buttery shortbread with hints of lemon and rosemary.
Ease: Rosemary shortbread are easy to make with fresh herbs (or dried rosemary) and lemon.
Sugar Free: Use my sugar free shortbread cookie as a base and add in the lemon and rosemary.
Top Tip: Be sure to use a good quality butter for baking shortbread. Pure vanilla will add the best flavor too.
Prep Tip: Chill the cookie dough if you want to make slice and bake cookies in a roll instead. This allows the butter solids to solidify with the sugar and the cookies maintain their shape better.
Ingredient Notes
Scroll down to the recipe card for a complete list of ingredients with measurements. Here’s a few highlights.
- Unsalted Butter- for best flavor and texture, use a good quality butter (don’t skimp and use margarine). Follow my tips and tricks on how to soften butter quickly!
- Powdered Sugar- I prefer using powdered sugar or confectioners sugar in shotrbread. The cookies melt in your mouth!
- Rosemary- fresh rosemary will be more flavorful, but you could use dried rosemary too. Chop it up!
- Lemon- you’ll need a whole lemon to zest for this recipe. Use my guide on how to zest a lemon if you’re unfamiliar with this technique.
- Honey- just a touch of honey really brings this cookie to life!
Aimee’s Gluten Free Tip
Swap out the all-purpose flour for King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour. Works perfectly and tastes delicious too!
How to Make Rosemary Cookies
Make the Cookie Dough.
- Be sure to use softened butter. A stand mixer or hand mixer does a great job of combining the ingredients.
- The dough will be crumbly at first, mix until it becomes a ball.
Shape and bake.
- Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Shape the cookie dough into a large rectangle.
- Bake until edges are lightly browned. Cut while warm into squares.
More Shortbread Flavors
By using my classic shortbread cookie recipe, you can change it up slightly to make delicious treats.
- My peanut butter shortbread is drizzled and dunked in dark chocolate for a delicious buttery treat.
- Rich chocolate shortbread cookies are easy to make, and so fun and festive to serve.
- Easy slice and bake coconut shortbread cookies are packed with coconut and have a buttery, crisp texture.
- These apple shortbread bars are the perfect fall dessert!
If you love shortbread, I dedicated a whole chapter in my Baking Basics cookbook to this classic treat!
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Rosemary Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 whole lemon, zested
- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter with powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in honey, lemon zest, and fresh rosemary. Beat until combined.
- To the mixing bowl, add in flour and salt. Beat just until the dough comes together into a ball.
- Drop cookie dough onto parchment paper and use your warm hands to shape into a 10-inch by 12-inch rectangle. If the dough is crumbly, warm your hands in warm water to help press it together. If the dough is sticky, dip your hands in flour before handling the dough.
- Bake cookies for 17-20 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately cut into squares using a serrated knife. Cool on pan for ten minutes then cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Butter- Use my guide on how to soften butter quickly for best results.
- Shapes- if you prefer, you can lay a slice of plastic wrap on counter and drop cookie dough. Shape into a log, about 12-inches and length and 1 12/-inches in diameter. Cut into 1/4-inch slices and bake for about 10-13 minutes.
- Storage- keep cookies in airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Use my guide on how to freeze the cookie dough.
Nutrition
