December has rolled in, and you know what means… The Holidays are in full force! Everywhere you look there is red and green, Christmas trees, Snowmen, Poinsettias and Dessert! Specifically cookies. There is something about this time of year that makes all of kinds of cookies come out of the woodwork. Okay, maybe that’s not a great way of saying it, but, you catch my drift. Desserts go into overdrive this time of the year. Not that I am complaining though. I do my part and join in on the fun and add to that dessert pile. So, be on the lookout for some new cookie recipes hitting my blog over the next few weeks. The recipes are ones that I have had for quite some time – did I ever mention that I am bit of a recipe hoarder, thankfully they are all nicely organized – but I have never tried making. Well, as they say there’s no time like the present. No pun intended.
Now, you know how they say “Don’t knock it till you try it,” well, I definitely think these cookies could fall into that category. They are a buttery and crisp Rosemary and Pine Nut Cookie. Yes, you read that correctly… Rosemary in a sweet and buttery cookie. Rosemary is not just a wonderful and flavorful herb to add your meats, it can be used in baking and with the right amount it’s not overpowering but instead a welcomed addition. I may have to look for a few more baking recipes that incorporate it. Especially since I have a lovely rosemary plant growing in my kitchen. I originally planted it outside over the summer and since it was growing so well I decided to repot it and bring it indoors.
For these cookies the key to using the Rosemary is making sure that you chop it first and then combine it with sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse it until the rosemary is finely chopped. You definitely don’t want to take a bite of any cookie and get a nice whole piece of rosemary in it. That would definitely be overpowering.
Once that is done you beat it with butter until it’s fluffy and then add in vanilla extract and eggs. Next add in toasted pine nuts that have been finely chopped in a food processor and finally a mixture of flour, baking soda and salt. Once the dough comes together dump it on a sheet of plastic wrap…
And form it into a log and wrap it up. I then placed it in the refrigerator for two hours so it could firm up. Once it was slightly firm I removed it from the refrigerator to shape it a little better and then placed in back in the refrigerator.
After the two hours I sliced the dough into discs about 1/4 inch thick. Unfortunately I didn’t really form my log correctly so my cookies were not perfectly round. I pressed a few toasted pine nuts onto the cookies and baked them in a 350 F preheated oven for 10 minutes.
I let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes and then transferred them to a wire rack so they could cool completely.
And I must say these are one of the best cookies I’ve ever had! The butter, pine nuts and rosemary work so well together. And they tasted even better the second day. The flavors only get stronger but in a good way!
Rosemary and Pine Nut Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted*
*To toast the pine nuts spread them on a baking sheet and bake them in a 350 F preheated oven for about 5-7 minutes.
Directions:
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt until well blended, set aside.
In a food processor pulse the sugar and rosemary until well combined and the rosemary is finally chopped. Transfer to a stand mixer. Put all but 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts in the food processor and process until finely chopped.
Add the butter to the rosemary mixture and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add in the egg and vanilla extract, beat until combined. Add the chopped pine nuts and then the flour mixture and mix until the dough absorbs the flour and become to come together. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and form it into a log about 2 inches thick and 11 inches long. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours. If the dough is too soft to form a log, refrigerate for about 30 minutes, remove from the refrigerator form it and then place it back in the refrigerator.
Once firm cut the dough into discs between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle the cookies with the whole pine nuts, lightly pressing them into the dough. Bake in a 350 F preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe from Fine Cooking
Bead Yarn & Spatula 
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