Bay Leaf & Lemon Shortbread
These bay leaf and lemon shortbread cookies incorporate finely ground bay laurel in the dough and the sweet-yet-tart lemony icing. The results are unique, delightfully delicious, and sure to stand out proudly from Christmas cookie pack.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 48 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 small dry bay leaves
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups butter (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 4 cups flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 5 small bay leaves
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tbsp meringue powder ((see note))
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- 1
Position a rack in the center of your oven, and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
- 2
Combine the bay leaves with 1-2 tablespoons of the sugar in a spice grinder. Grind until the bay leaves have been reduced to powder (sift out any stubborn bits). Set aside.
- 3
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, thoroughly combine the butter, bay/sugar mixture, remaining sugar, lemon zest, and salt.
- 4
Add flour to the butter mixture a little at a time, mixing until a malleable dough is formed. It should have a consistency rather like playdough.
- 5
Shape the cookies into rounds. I use 25 g portions (roughly a heaping tablespoon), pressed into cookie cutters for consistency, but you can use any method of shaping that works for you.
- 6
Bake for 18-20 minutes for larger (25 g) cookies (less for smaller cookies) or until lightly browned at the edges.
- 7
Combine the granulated sugar and bay leaves in a spice grinder. Grind until the bay leaves have been reduced to powder (sift out any stubborn bits). Set aside.
- 8
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer (whisk and paddle attachments both work fine), thoroughly combine the bay/sugar mixture with the remaining icing ingredients. Combine at medium speed until the mixture forms a thick, even, icing. (See note below)
- 9
Dip the cooled cookies in the icing and let the excess drip off. Alternatively, you can pipe the icing on if you prefer. Lay the finished cookies out on racks to dry for 12-24 hours. Drying times can depend on the humidity of your home and the thickness of the icing. I personally prefer that the icing ends up solid, but not rock hard, which means a somewhat shorter drying time.