Food Processor Rosemary Shortbread
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A food processor makes this rosemary shortbread recipe effortless. It literally takes five minutes to prepare.
But careful: these are addictive. They’ve got that sweet-salty dynamic, but also a hint of rosemary, a savory touch that might lead you to eat ten of them, as you would a cracker. Try not to do that.
If you’re like me, you won’t want to share these with anyone, but they do make a wonderful gift. According to Melissa Clark’s NY Times article in December 2005, these shortbread cookies are her all-occasion go-to gift:
“A friend’s birthday? A box of shortbread cookies wrapped in colored tissue. A colleague’s dinner party? A hostess gift of a vintage tin filled with shortbreads. The holidays? Many, many bright-hued bags filled with shortbread and tied with ribbons.”
Yesterday, feeling inspired, I fashioned a little package out of parchment paper and cooking twine. Then I tucked two squares inside, made a cute little tag, and wrapped it all up. Later that day, I opened the package and ate the treats. As I said, I didn’t want to share these with anyone.
This shortbread is perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon, but is delightful any time of the day really. What’s more, it stay fresh for days (though it’ll likely be gone before showing any signs of age).
Holiday season is rapidly approaching — practice making this shortbread now, and you’ll be golden come December.
I love parchment paper. Have you ever tried to tape it, however? Nothing sticks to it. To make this package, I improvised with a hole punch and some cooking twine. Just fold up a piece of parchment paper to the size of your liking, punch holes in the sides, thread any sort of ribbon or string through the holes and make knots on one side. Ta-da! With some cute ribbon, these packages could be really darling.
With this recipe, you just have to be careful not to over pulse the dough. This is about what it should look like:
The dough is still very crumbly when you pat it into the pan.
Food Processor Rosemary Shortbread
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 16 pieces
Description
Source: Melissa Clark of the NY Times
Ingredients
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (134 g) granulated sugar
- 1 scant tablespoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary (see photo above)
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted cold butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 1/2 tsp. honey
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325ºF. In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, rosemary and salt. Add butter and honey, and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some crumbs start to come together, but don’t overprocess. Dough should not be smooth.
- Press dough into an ungreased (or parchment paper-lined for easy removal) 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes for 9-inch pan, 45 to 50 minutes for 8-inch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: rosemary, shortbread, butter, Melissa, Clark, food processor
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
63 Comments on “Food Processor Rosemary Shortbread”
Followed the recipe exactly including weighing the sugar & flour. Put the batter into the pan. Seemed sandy and nothing like the picture. Couldn’t even make noticeable prick marks. Had no confidence that it would bake up correctly. Pretty much figured it was going to be a total loss. I WAS WRONG! The shortbread baked up perfectly and tasted delicious!! Thank you!!
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So great to hear this, Sheryl 🙂 🙂 🙂 I find this shortbread to be completely addictive. Thanks for writing!
Thank you for sharing this. This is my go-to shortbread recipe. I make it vegan by subbing high-quality vegan butter and agave for the honey. Hugely popular with my family, even the omnivores. I am going to try it with lemon zest instead of rosemary. Fingers crossed!
★★★★★
Great to hear vegan butter works here! I’m going to make some for my vegan friend. Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes.
OMG, this are phenomenal! Like, truly phenomenal. I also made your oatmeal-maple bread yesterday. Your peasant bread variations are always a winner. Ali, your recipes have become part of my family’s traditions and the stories we tell ourselves. A huge, huge thank you for that. 😉
★★★★★
Awwww, Lisa 🙂 🙂 🙂 So nice to read all of this. Thank you so much… means a lot. I find these addictive, and it always makes me happy when others do, too. Thanks for writing! Hope all is well 💕
I have the same comments as Sheryl. The tines would just pull up the sandy dough. The trick, I found, is to hold your fingers down on either side of the tines, and the marks will stay without pulling up the dough. I made these as a present for friends but had a hard time giving them away! Rosemary is one of my very favorite herbs.
★★★★★
So nice to hear this, Helen! And thanks for sharing that tip, too. Will try next time. Happy holidays!
Can I use something other than honey? Like brown sugar? Thanks! What a great recipe!
★★★★★
Yes!