Herbs in Shortbread!!

It has been a busy month.  We had an outdoor show near the beginning of the month and have a Halloween show at the end of the month and we have been making seasonal items in between.

We sent out a huge order of shortbread mixes this month too!

For the order we tweeked the recipe for our older Herbed Shortbread and renamed it Lemon Lavender Shortbread and we crafted an oatmeal shortbread with seasonal spices as well as a Chocolate shortbread. And we also included our Orange Poppy Seed Shortbread and a new Holiday Shortbread with great seasonal spices.

To make the best shortbread you need flour, sugar and butter and not much else.  This wonderfully simple combination lends itself  to including herbs.  Try these quick variation using a traditional shortbread recipe.

Traditional Shortbread

    1 1/2 cups. flour

     3/4 cup powdered sugar

     1/2 tsp. salt

     1 cup butter

Cream the butter and sugar.  Then add in the flour and salt. Knead the dough on an unfloured surface until it is nice and smooth and no longer crumbly.

Spray a shortbread pan or use a parchment lined baking sheet.  Working from the center, press the dough into the pan into the shape of a circle. Prick the entire surface with a fork, bake the shortbread at 325 degrees F. for 30 to 35 minutes.  Allow shortbread to cool in pan for 10 minutes before loosening the edges with a fork.  Then flip onto a cutting board and tap firmly.  Cut into serving pieces while still warm.

Variation #1
Add 1 tsp lavender buds and 1 tsp lemon balm to traditional recipe and complete as directed.

Variation #2
Add 2 Tbls baking cocoa and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract to traditional recipe and complete as directed.

Variation #3
Add 1 tsp. savory, 1 tsp. rosemary & 1 tsp thyme to traditional recipe and complete as directed.

Variation #4
Change sugar to light brown sugar and add 1 tsp. Backyard Patch Cinnful Desert Blend.  Complete as directed.