Just back from a long weekend in Healdsburg celebrating my friend Janice’s big 5-0, and I’ve decided that destination celebrations are underrated! In an age where we connect quickly via an email and are lucky to squeeze in an occasional lunch with our friends, it’s a brilliant way to gather your favorite people in one spot for a weekend together.
Each of Janice’s friends know her from a different time and place and undoubtedly appreciate her differently and uniquely. I happen to adore her because she’s a well rounded gal who juggles it all and freely speaks her mind. She’s a hard-core fashionista, so I’m always excited to see what she’s wearing. She’s a super fit pilates instructor and had promised herself she’d kick 50′s arse {and succeeded I might add} and she’s a great mom to two wonderful {except for that hot tub incident} teenagers. And further, I admire how she’s honed her organizational skills. Her to-do list reads something like this: kids to school, teach at 10, do my husband…. It’s all in the list, ladies.
Did I mention her spontaneity? Five minutes before my wedding she didn’t bat an eye when I asked her to take off her jewelry and hand it over – it was a much better compliment to my dress than what I ‘d {painstakingly} selected.
Paying homage to her Scottish roots, she ordered Lark’s Salted Rosemary Shortbread as the party favor & I offered to figure out the packaging – something reflective of her heritage and befitting the lush rusticity of our Healdsburg setting.
Now, I’ve set out to replicate Lark’s recipe as best I can – those salty sweet bites are crave-worthy and we’ll all need to feed our new habit. Included are the 3 basic food groups; flour, butter and sugar – so you know they’re off to a stellar start. The addition of fresh rosemary changes up a standard and the sprinkle of artisan salt gives it a little glisten and adds to the the anticipation… hope you love them!
3/4 lb {3 sticks} salted room temperature butter
3/4 cup sugar,
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
3 T minced fresh rosemary
artisan salt {fleur se sel or finely ground pink Himalayan}
Makes 2 dozen. Preheat the oven to 350. With an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and rosemary together, then add into to the mixture on low speed, just until the dough starts to come together. Place 1/2 of the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a flat disk. If the dough is still a little crumbly, you can press it into submission using the plastic wrap as you form your disk. Wrap in the plastic and chill {do the same with the second half of dough} for 30 minutes to firm up just a little. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface {or between 2 pieces of plastic wrap} to a nice chunky 1/2 inch thick, and cut into the shape of your choosing using a metal cookie cutter. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment, allowing 1 inch between each cookie. Sprinkle generously with artisan salt {table salt is much too salty} and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the edges are golden. If cookies are larger than 2 1/2 inches in diameter, they may need additional cook-time. Cool to room temperature and store in airtight container.
*I used Trader Joe’s pink Himalayan salt with the built in grinder, and it was perfect. I also made a batch with fleur de sel which were equally as tasty but not quite as pretty.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks like you succeeded in pulling together Scottish and rustic — love the plaid and the rosemary sprigs tucked in the twine, too! What a loving tribute to your friend and what WONDERFUL shortbread!
What beautiful packaging! And your photos are really stunning – nicely done!
Love the cute packaging! And the recipe looks so simple to make, yet still delicious!
Thanks! They couldn’t be simpler, and did turn out super tasty.
Marvelous ode to turning fifty! The shortbread is very sumptuous in it’s inspired parcels with a fitting garnish of rosemary, just a delightful post!
Thank you, Deb! Just a few short years and it will be my turn…
What a wonderful post. Your remake of the salted rosemary shortbread looks positively heavenly and the packaging – wow – simply gorgeous. I love the subtlety of colour and the Scottish tartan theme. I agree; destination celebrations are underrated… the challenge is always getting everyone on board. I very much enjoyed my first visit on your blog.
Thank you Kelly! Glad you stopped by:)
Your pictures are always so amazing. The shortbread looks so amazing.
Beautiful packaging and delicious-sounding shortbread.
a little late to the party.
but these are lovely and delicious!
i am making them as a favor for my lil’ one’s first birthday.
how many days in advance can i make them and have them stay lovely?
the party is on a saturday…
thanks! i plan on borrowing many of your recipes in the future!
Hi Julie! I can’t say I’ve put them to the test… they usually disappear within a day or two. My suggestion would be to make them as close to the party as your schedule will allow (they’re fast and easy) and don’t sweat it:) If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they carry Himalayan Pink salt in it’s own grinder!
oh, i already have the salt grated in an airtight container! i bought out TJ’s supply.
alright, they will be a friday night project with a big ole glass of wine.
thanks so much.
Great, have fun!!
The Barefoot Contessa used Lark’s salted rosemary cookies on her show today, and a google search to locate the product helped me stumble upon your blog. This recipe looks amazing, and your packaging is gorgeous! Your photos are stunning, too. I look forward to exploring your blog!
Thanks, Kim! I’m happy you found me:)
Saw this on bf Contessa as well, I will make these soon! Love the blog, thanks!
So cool Pammy, thanks for saying hello!
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