Rosemary Shortbread Cookies Recipe
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The best, flakiest rosemary shortbread cookies with lemon zest, sea salt and vegan butter. The buttery and crumbly texture makes these the perfect Italian Christmas cookies to leave under the tree!
Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
A favorite shortbread cookie recipe from scratch that tastes like the holidays with an unexpected touch of rosemary and lemon that makes them exceptionally magical. The perfect little cookie to enjoy with your Christmas morning cup of coffee, naturally vegan, dairy free, easy to make and purely decadent. No eggs, no cornstarch, no baking powder.
About the Butter
I stock my fridge with the cultured European style butter from both Miyoko’s and Violife and absolutely love baking with them. The high fat content dough yields a heavenly buttery crumb that melts in your mouth. It’s imperative that the butter be chilled and cut into cubes before adding to the recipe.
Cookie Tips + FAQ
- Rosemary – It’s important to use the fresh herbs as the flavor is different than using the dried herbs.
- Lemon Glaze Variation – Make a lemon glaze and pour over the cookies once they have fully cooled off. (1/2 cup powdered sugar + 3 Tbsp lemon juice + lemon zest from 1 lemon).
- Orange Or Lime – Swap the lemon zest with orange or lime zest.
- Lavender – Go over the top with one tablespoon of dried lavender flowers into the mix.
- Chocolate – Drizzle or dip each cookie in melted chocolate, place on parchment paper and refrigerate until fully set.
- Sprinkles – If preferred yes you can add in 1 or 2 tablespoons of your favorite sprinkles instead of rosemary.
- Can shortbread cookie dough be refrigerated? – Absolutely, you can prep in advance, roll into a log wrapped in parchment paper and refrigerate for a couple of weeks. You could also freeze it and thaw out in the fridge before baking.
- Can you freeze the cookies after baking? Yes! Use lidded freezer poof containers tightly sealed and remember to thaw out at room temperature for an hour or so before serving.
- Powdered sugar vs granulated sugar – For the best cookie texture make sure to use powdered sugar.
- Air-Fryer – Yes you may bake these cookies in the air-fryer which is nothing but a convection oven; confidently follow the recipe below.
How to Shape Shortbread Cookies
- Slices – Once your cookie dough log is formed you can simply slice it into rounds and bake as such. Your cookies will just be simple pretty circles flecked with rosemary and lemon zest.
- Roll + Stamp – If feeling artistic, you can roll each slice of the dough into a ball the size of a walnut as I did, then stamp with a cookie stamp of your choosing.
- Freeze – Stamped cookies benefit from a quick 10 minutes freeze to preserve the stamped design and make sure it doesn’t disappear during baking which could happen if the dough is not firm enough.
On Storage
Once cooled store your cookies at room temperature in a sealed cookie jar or lidded container for a couple of weeks. Freeze for long term storage.
More Desserts
- Walnut Cookies
- Italian Almond Cookies – Ricciarelli
- Chocolate Almond Olive Oil Cake
- Italian Wedding Cookies
- Vegan Blueberry Muffins
how to make vegan lemon rosemary shortbread cookies
Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
The best, flakiest rosemary shortbread cookies with lemon zest, sea salt and plant butter. The buttery and crumbly texture makes these the perfect Italian Christmas cookies to leave under the tree!
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.75 cups all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- the zest from 4 large lemons
- 2 sprigs rosemary leaves (chopped- about 1 Tbsp)
- 12 Tbsp cultured vegan butter (salted, chilled + cut into cubes)
Instructions
- To the bowl of a food processor add the flour, sugar, rosemary lemon zest and salt. Process until combined.1.75 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 pinch sea salt, 2 sprigs rosemary leaves, the zest from 4 large lemons
- Add the butter and process using the pulse button until a dough starts to form.12 Tbsp cultured vegan butter
- Transfer the cookie dough to a piece of parchment paper and using your hands form an 8 inch long log. Wrap it tightly in parchment paper and form a smooth shaped log as best you can then pop in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to set.
- Prepare a large rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Pre-heat oven to 350”F.
- Take the cookie dough from the freezer and unwrap it. Slice into 16 equal slices. (At this point you can bake the cookies in slices if you don't want to stamp them).
- STAMPING COOKIES: Roll each slice into a ball the size of a walnut and place on the prepared cookie sheet a couple of inches apart.
- Take the chilled cookie stamp and dip it in flour. Press on top of each dough ball to flatten. Repeat with the rest of the cookies making sure to dip your cookie stamp in flour in between each cookie pressing to prevent any sticking. (Optional: sprinkle each cookie with a couple of sea salt flakes).
- FREEZE - Place stamped cookies in the freezer for the design to set for 10 minutes or so. This will help ensure the dough is firm enough and the design won't disappear on you during baking.
- Bake in the preheat oven for 21 to 22 minutes until lightly golden at the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Store in a cookie jar or lidded container at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Shortbread Cookies Success Tips
- Slices - Once your cookie dough log is formed you can simply slice it into rounds and bake as such. Your cookies will just be simple pretty circles flecked with rosemary and lemon zest.
- Roll + Stamp - If feeling artistic, you can roll each slice of the dough into a ball the size of a walnut as I did, then stamp with a cookie stamp of your choosing.
- Freeze - Stamped cookies benefit from a quick 10 minutes freeze to preserve the stamped design and make sure it doesn't disappear during baking which could happen if the dough is not firm enough.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 2g | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 16 cookies
Calories: 140kcal
Is it possible to substitute salted or unsalted butter for the vegan butter listed in the recipe?
Technically yes you can, the vegan butter yields exceptionally flaky results, really easy to work with and there’s no dairy and cholesterol so therefor better for you and for the plant cookies 🙂 Enjoy!
If you want a unique gourmet cookie to add to your Christmas spread then you’ll want to bake a double batch of these. Do a variation with rosemary and one with lavender, they are sure to impress anyone with an appreciation for cookies. Perfect shortbread texture and they smell so festive! Thank you for another fabulous recipe Florentina