Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Trees by Rachel

'Tis the season!!  Having a cookie exchange?  Need to make some cookies for friends?  Well, have I got the cookie for you!

I'm putting together a cookie care package for some of my nearest and dearest friends and I knew I had to include a shortbread, but I wanted something that wouldn't be too sweet to balance out the other cookies that I plan to include.  I had lemons and rosemary in the fridge and thought, "why not?"

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tbsp fresh, chopped rosemary

1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups flour

makes about 30 cookies

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Cream together the sugar and the butter in a mixer and let it go for about 3-4 minutes.  

- Add the egg and let the mixer fully incorporate it.  Then, add in the lemon zest, rosemary, vanilla extract, and almond extract and let them get fully mixed in.  

- Add in the salt while the mixer is still going, then add in the flour about a 1/4 cup increments.  Let the mixer fully incorporate the ingredients.  The dough should come away from the sides pretty easily, but it shouldn't be dry.

- Scoop the dough out onto a floured piece of wax paper.  Tear out another sheet of wax paper and place it over the dough.  Roll the dough out.  The wax paper on top should keep the dough from sticking to your rolling pin.  Once it's rolled out to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick, place it into the fridge and leave it for about 2 hours, laying flat.

- Remove the rolled out dough and remove the top layer of wax paper.  With a Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut out trees and place them on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.

Look, how cute!  The rosemary looks like the pine needles :)

- Bake each batch for about 13-15 minutes.  When they start to brown a little on the edge, they're ready! 

They smell AMAZING.

- Remove from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before tucking into them.  They'll need this time to harden up and settle.

And there you have it!  If you are taking them to a cookie exchange or gifting them, tie them up into a little baggie like so.  This is just one of the few cookies that I'll be including in my care packages, so stay tuned for my other cookie recipes, including the classic gingerbread man!