Perfect for giving—or keeping for yourself: Pecan Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Pecans, rosemary, plenty of butter and not too much sugar make rich, satisfying and not-too-sweet cookies. Recipe below.

THE HOLIDAYS ARE UPON US. DIFFERENT, BUT STILL HERE. We’ve been sending and receiving packages, mostly not gift wrapped, sent directly by the company (and often from the maker): “You guys are getting a package from a potter in Racine today—don’t open it!” And you know what ships well? Or drops off on doorsteps? Cookies!

Big get togethers are not on the table this year, but something you made can be. Cookies are ideal for shipping—and for sharing. Unlike pies and cakes, they’re not fragile (now is not the time for delicate or intricately layered cookies—think sturdy, like chocolate chip, oatmeal or these shortbread cookies, for instance). Also unlike pies and cakes, you can share in your gift. You can’t very well take a slice out of a pie or cake, but if a recipe makes three dozen cookies, two dozen is a lovely gift.

And these shortbread cookies are especially lovely. Not overly sweet, but delicious, rich and satisfying—thank you, lots of butter. Pecan shortbread cookies are a classic flavor, and the rosemary ups the game, making these totally giftable.

They’re pretty straightforward to make, avoiding the dough-log making process many shortbread recipes call for. But the dough does require brief refrigeration to make everything come together. The slightly irregular, non-cookie-cutter imperfections and the bits of pecan and rosemary peeking through give them a homey, handmade look: “I made these for you.”

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Pecan Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Pecans, rosemary, plenty of butter and not too much sugar make rich, satisfying and not-too-sweet cookies.

Course Dessert

Servings 3 dozen (or so) cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup ground pecans (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 tablespoon finely minced rosemary
• 1 cup butter (two sticks), softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon powdered or confectioners sugar (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon water, if needed

Instructions

• Mix flour, salt, pecans and rosemary in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a separate larger bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together on medium-high until completely blended and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add vanilla and blend until combined.
• Gradually add flour mixture to butter, beating at medium speed. We added about 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time. The dough will be quite thick and won’t seem like it’s coming together. That is totally okay. If it seems particularly dry, beat in a tablespoon of cold water. It still won’t seem like it’s coming together. That is still totally okay.
• VERY IMPORTANT STEP. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put the bowl in the fridge for 1/2 hour.
• After 1/2 hour, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
• Take dough from fridge and, using your hands, form balls of dough about 1 inch in diameter. This is where you will see the value of chilling the dough; it will form into balls easily, being quite malleable. You can pinch pieces off or add pieces on at will, and it will hold together beautifully.
• Place dough balls on lined cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. We got a dozen per cookie sheet. Using a flat-bottomed glass, press the balls to about 1/3-inch thick. The cookie disks may stick to the bottom of the glass, but you can easily twist them off. You can also slightly reshape imperfections and fix cracks in the edge. Wiping the glass on a paper towel occasionally reduces sticking. Some recipes suggest dipping the glass in flour, but we didn’t want to add potential bits of flour on the cookie surfaces.
• Bake cookies, one cookie sheet at a time, for 14 to 17 minutes. Shortbread cookies stay pretty pale, only browning slightly around the edges, so don’t overdo. Just keep an eye on the edges.
• Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Kitchen Notes

Grinding the pecans. You want them fairly finely ground, but not powder. It’s best to grind your own, starting with pecan halves. Chop them by hand, then transfer to a food processor and pulse them to get relatively finely ground. Your mix won’t be uniform—you’ll still have a few slightly chunky pieces and that’s okay. Also, some recipes call for toasting the pecans first. Don’t. We find the raw pecans blend texturally with the finished cookies, not being hard, dried little bits in them.

How much sugar? When we say these aren't overly sweet, we mean it. If you like your cookies a little sweeter, up the powdered sugar to 3/4 cup.