Lemon Rosemary Shortbread
Rain in Southern California is pretty damn catastrophic. Not that the rain is any more damaging or severe than rain in other parts of the nation, but because it seriously inconveniences our happy-go-lucky sunny lifestyle. Let's face the facts - it rains only a handful of times each year in Southern California. Los Angelenos are not equipped to face a torrential onslaught of pollution infested water falling from the sky.
Our streets do not have an effective drainage system and even slight rainfall causes our streets to look like a runoff of the Mississippi River. Traffic on our already congested freeways crawl to a standstill. The weather is cold, wet and miserable. The warmest clothing in my closet at the moment is a cardigan. I don't even own a pair of rainboots or an umbrella. That's how prepared we are for rain.
So I biked to class today, sans umbrella or any sort of waterproof clothing. By the time I reached the classroom some 7 minutes later, I looked as though I had just been through a cold shower with all of my clothes on. Deciding that I was NOT happy in my cold and wet condition, I opted to skip all of my classes for the afternoon and take shelter in the comfort and warmth of my apartment.
The first thing I did when I got to my apartment: turn on the oven.
It's nice to feel the warmth of the oven on a cold day and the rich smell of baked goods wafting through the apartment. These lemon rosemary shortbreads are magical. I passed a box of these treats around at the pre-dental society meeting and the box was empty in a blink of the eye.
Lemon Rosemary Shortbread
Adapted from
via Molly Herfmann of
Makes 24-36 cookies
2 c. organic unsalted butter, room temp
1 c. organic cane sugar
3 1/2 c. organic all-purpose unbleached flour
zest of 2 lemon, grated
2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
additional flour to knead
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in flavorings. On medium-low speed, mix in flour until just incorporated.
Flour a work surface. Transfer dough—it will be very soft—to work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, adding up to 1 c. of flour to create a soft dough that stays together (Stephanie's note: I added about 1/2 cup).
Pat dough out into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Cut it into desired shapes. Space cookies at least 1 inch apart on a baking sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden but not browned. Transfer cookies to racks to cool. Optional: Drizzle cooled cookies with melted white chocolate to finish. Store in airtight container.
Song of the Day
Sunday Morning - Maroon 5
