Desserts
Lemon Thyme Shortbread
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Lemon Thyme Shortbread
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
While thyme may seem like an unlikely ingredient for a sweet cookie, you will quickly
learn why these are so popular.
Nutritional information per cookie (with ½ teaspoon icing):Calories 89 (56% from fat)
carb. 9g
pro. 1g fat 5g
sat. fat 3g
chol. 25mg
sod. 32mg calc. 2mg
fiber 0g
carb. 9g
pro. 1g fat 5g
sat. fat 3g
chol. 25mg
sod. 32mg calc. 2mg
fiber 0g
Ingredients
- Cookie Dough:
- 1¾ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks; ½ pound)
- European style, unsalted butter,
- cut into 8 pieces, room temperature
- ¹⁄³ cup granulated sugar
- ¹⁄³ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
- Lemon Icing:
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Pinch fine sea salt
Preparation
- 1. Put the flour and salt into a medium
- mixing bowl. Using the beaters, mix
- on Speed 1 to fully combine, about 30
- seconds. Reserve.
- 2. Put the butter into a large mixing bowl.
- Mix on Speeds 2 to 3 until creamy, then
- add the sugars. Mix on Speeds 2 to 3
- until light, then add the egg yolks and mix
- until combined. Add the dry ingredients
- and mix on Speed 2 until evenly mixed.
- Add the thyme and lemon zest and gently
- mix into dough.
- 3. Divide dough into two discs. Wrap in
- wax paper/parchment, then wrap well in
- plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
- 4. Take dough out of fridge to soften slightly.
- Preheat oven to 350°F with two racks in
- the lower and upper middle thirds of the
- oven. Line two rimmed baking sheets
- with parchment paper.
- 5. Roll dough out to ¼-inch thickness and
- use a 1½-inch round cutter to form small
- discs. Put onto baking sheets and chill for
- about 10 minutes.
- 6. Bake chilled cookies for about 12
- minutes, until just browned around the
- edges, rotating pans if necessary. Cool
- cookies completely.
- 7. While cookies are cooling, prepare the
- icing. Put all of the ingredients into a
- medium mixing bowl and mix on Speed 1
- until very smooth. If the icing appears to
- be too thick, add more cream, 1 teaspoon
- at a time. If it appears to be too thin, add
- more confectioners’ sugar, 1 teaspoon at
- a time. Spread on top of cooled cookies
- as desired.