The Best Savory Shortbread Cookies With Rosemary

It's that time of the year again. Time to bake, bake, bake, just bake. This time, I'm here with this recipe for shortbread cookies with rosemary, and they're just delicious.

If you're like me, December is the excuse to start baking a million different flavors of cookies (you may see this in June, it's ok...go bake!:) Eheh). And just like every year, I'm gonna share with you some irresistible cookie recipes (savory, this time), perfect to create your own cookie box.

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Check out the other 3 recipes from Christmas 2022 series: chocolate orange shortbread cookies, lemon shortbread cookies & double hazelnut shortbread cookies.

Also check out what I made in 2019 (Christmas Cookie Box) and 2020 (peppermint chocolate cookies, caramel coffee cookies, strawberry dried figs cookies)).

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Why you'll love this recipe for rosemary shortbread cookies

When I affirm my recipes are delicious it's because I truly believe so (with no intent to be full of myself in a bad way though). In fact here on healthylittlecravings.com I only share the ones I find irresistible. And that's what these shortbread cookies with rosemary and olives are (just like my savory bacon cookies).

I ate my first savory cookies a couple years ago when I bought truffle shortbreads in a small shop in my town. When I took the first bite, I fell in love and every bite was like a step towards heaven.

Buttery, rich, perfectly balanced (with salt grains that you could taste here and there), a tender, melting texture, just DIVINE. And if you like all this, then you'll love this recipe too (which is not even difficult to make!). The only downside: it's difficult to stop eating them.

Recipe ingredients

Can you believe this recipe for shortbread cookies calls for 6 ingredients only? No? Yeah same. But it's true. Indeed you'll need:

• All purpose flour. I'm Italian and I usually find (and use) 00 flour here, which is finer. But AP is good too.
  
• Cold unsalted butter. I recommend using unsalted so that you have complete control of the overall flavor. If you only have salted butter, lower the amount of the salt in the recipe. (read pro tips below)
  
• Salt. I love using the combo unsalted butter-salt because the peculiarity here is the salt grains you taste at every bite. Use sea salt.
  
• Egg yolks. I like to use just yolks (instead of the whole egg) because they add fats and richness to the dough. Plus they act like a binder, so they'll keep the dough together.
  
• Rosemary. Use fresh or dry, your choice. I love using freshly minced rosemary. If you use dry, add a bit less (it has a stronger flavor).
  
• Olives. Choose your favorite variety. With the rosemary, it's a chef's kiss combo!
  

How to make rosemary shortbread cookies

Now, the cool thing here is that you can make these: 1. by hand; 2. with a food processor; 3. with a stand mixer.

No-mixer cookie dough is maybe a bit more tedious, but it's totally doable. In this case, soften the butter at room temperature so it's easier to mix.

If you prepare shortbread cookies with a food processor or stand mixer instead:

1. Combine ingredients

"Throw" all your ingredients into the stand mixer. First flour, then minced rosemary and olives, salt, cubed cold butter and egg yolks.

Mix at low with the paddle attachment until it's incorporated and you get a smooth dough (looks/feels like play dough). Same thing with the food processor: pulse until you get the perfect malleable dough.

2. Rest

Roughly flatten the dough, then cover with plastic wrap and let chill into the fridge for about 30 minutes. Alternatively you can roll the dough into a 1-inch log and wrap it in parchment paper (then let rest).

3. Form cookies and bake

Dust a work surface with a bit of flour. There are a few ways to form these cookies: if you rolled the log, simply use a knife and slice. You can also do like the dear Ari did here and form rectangles instead. Personally I like to use cookie cutters to make them look cute.

Roll out the dough on the work surface, to a thickness of about ⅓ inch (8mm - use a rolling pin with a thickness ring). Form the cookies with your favorite cutter, place them on a lined baking sheet. Re-roll out and form more cookies. They won't spread, you can place them at half an inch (approx. 1 cm) one from the other.

I like letting my cookies rest into the fridge for 30 more minutes, to make sure they won't lose their shape while baking. Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 18-20 minutes. Let cool down.

How do you know when shortbread cookies are done?

First make sure you check them after about 12 minutes or so. All ovens are different, yours may bake at a slightly higher/lower temperature. I recommend you buy an oven thermometer.

These don't turn golden brown on the surface. They're ready when they look a bit golden but not too much (they don't have added sugars so they won't darken that much).

Pro tips

Here are some tips that may come in handy.

• Unsalted vs salted butter. In salted butter, consider the quantity of sodium is generally 0,075/0,09 grams per tablespoon of butter. My recipe has approximately 10 tablespoons of butter, that means salted butter would add almost 1 gram of salt. At this point, use only 4 g of sea salt (or do the math if you want to make more cookies!)
• Hard cookie dough. If the dough is too hard after you let it rest into the fridge, let it soften a little bit at room temperature but JUST until malleable again.
• Try variations. Want to "spice them up"? Try just rosemary with lemon/orange zest or other herbs (think sage and butter!). For a sweet-savory combo, try adding chocolate chips (omit the olives).
• Rolling pin. Use a rolling pin with thickness rings (you can find them on Amazon). I use mine all the times, when making shortbread cookies or pastry.
• Don't waste egg whites. When I make these cookies, and discard the whites, I prepare frittata for lunch. I cook my usual 1 or 2 eggs, plus the leftover whites.

How to store shortbread cookies

These shortbread cookies with rosemary last days and days (even weeks) at room temperature in airtight containers. If this is a gift, I recommend you let them cool, then put them into a plastic bag, then use a cuter bag to cover it. Read this post to learn more.

You can freeze the dough. I don't recommend freezing the baked cookies.

How to serve them

I know at this point you're probably wondering how you can eat these savory shortbread cookies with rosemary. Well, it's up to you. They're a delicious treat for when you're craving a cookie...but not a sweet cookie eheh

They're the ideal cookie for those who don't have a sweet tooth (I gift these to those kind of people!:)) and they're PERFECT if served as an appetizer with other cookies!

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If you make this recipe, please be sure to give it a rating and leave a comment! It would make me so happy!  🙂

Remember: if you try one of my recipes, tag me on Instagram or DM me the photos! 

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Don’t forget to pin and share this easy and delicious recipe!

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If you love shortbread cookies and you have a sweet tooth, try one (or all!) of these:

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