Chef John's Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Chef John's rosemary shortbread cookies are tender and crumbly with a subtle hint of rosemary, and might be even better than the classic version!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 192 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 0.5 cup white sugar
• 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.125 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces cold, unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (not minced)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 50 minutes.

Step 2

Place butter, sugar, rosemary, salt, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Combine with the back of a spatula or spoon, slowly incorporating ingredients until butter has softened somewhat and ingredients come together.

Step 3

Add flour to butter mixture. Using floured hands, combine flour into butter using fingertips, rubbing mixture together until floury crumbs become buttery crumbs, about 1 to 2 minutes. Press mixture together to form dough ball.

Step 4

Cut dough lengthwise into 5 even strips about 1 inch wide, trimming extra dough away, if necessary. Cut each strip into 6 even squares (you can roll out scraps to form more cookies if necessary). Transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each cookie evenly with a pinch of sugar. Using a fork, poke 4 rows of holes into each cookie.

Step 5

Cool cookies 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer cookies to rack to cool completely.

Step 6

Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 7

Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Press dough into a disk, then into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten dough to 1/4-inch thick using a flat pan or rolling pin. Reshape into a 5x12-inch rectangle.