Nothing says holidays like homemade cookies and while I have the traditional ones – like press cookies, biscotti – I make every year, I always like trying a few new recipes to see if they are worthy of next year’s baking rotation.

My Rosemary Thyme Shortbread have become one of the holiday staples that I give as gifts and add to the party cookie tray. Adapted years ago from a Gourmet magazine, this cookie was one of my first ventures into using savory herbs in a dessert. Rosemary was the star ingredient in the original recipe but I added thyme for an extra herbal punch in flavor and appearance. And while they’re not the healthiest of offerings (they are cookies after all), I’ve tweaked the ingredients by cutting back on the butter (though still uses a whole stick) and adding some white whole wheat flour for extra fiber and texture.

These are the cookies that people will remember…and perhaps even request again next December.

Rosemary & Thyme Shortbread Cookies

• Yield: 16 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Granulated sugar
• Fresh rosemary springs
• Fresh thyme sprigs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flours, rosemary, thyme, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar and honey until well mixed (about 2 – 3 minutes.)
4. Add flour mixture to butter mix and beat until resembles a coarse meal.
5. Pat the dough together into a ball until smooth.

   Divide in half.

6. For each half, roll out into a 8-inch circle on parchment paper.
7. Score the edges with a fork as well as lines to divide into 8 pieces (like a pizza.)
8. For each “slice”, adorn with a small sprig of rosemary and thyme. Sprinkle each circle with a dash of granulated sugar.
9. Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are just lightly browned.
10. Cool on rack for 5 minutes then cut each circle into 8 pieces.

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