Rosemary and lemon sables

Along with lemon, these melt-in-the-mouth biscuits are scented with rosemary’s distinct, yet subtle, earthy and slightly sweet flavour.

Rosemary and lemon sables Credit: Alan Benson

• makes

  80

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  12 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

The clever imprinting of rosemary sprigs of the dough gives a gorgeous finish to these sweet, buttery mouthfuls.

Ingredients

• 250 g butter, cubed and softened slightly
• 165 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp extra to sprinkle
• 1 egg yolk
• 335 g (2¼ cups) plain flour
• 1½ tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (see Baker’s tip)
• 1 lemon, rind finely grated
• small rosemary sprigs, to imprint biscuits

Baking time: 12 minutes (per batch)

Chilling time: 50 minutes

Instructions

1. Line 3 large oven trays with baking paper.

2. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar for about 1 minute or until starting to become pale and creamy but not too aerated (do not over mix). Beat in the egg yolk, rosemary and lemon until just combined.

3. Add the flour to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Divide the dough in half and shape each portion into a disc. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

4. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll a portion of dough out on a lightly floured bench top until 4 mm thick. arrange the rosemary sprigs over the dough and lightly roll over with the rolling pin to imprint. Remove the rosemary sprigs and reserve. Use a 4.5 cm fluted round biscuit cutter to cut the dough into rounds and place on the lined trays, rerolling, imprinting and cutting out any off cuts. Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Sprinkle the biscuits liberally with the extra sugar.

5. Place the trays in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

6. Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced)

7. Bake 2 trays of the biscuits in preheated oven for 12 minutes, swapping the trays around half way through baking, or until pale golden and cooked through. Cool on the trays. Repeat with the remaining tray of biscuits, baking in the center of the oven.

Baker’s tips

• Chopping the rosemary with a pinch of sugar will help bring out the aromatic flavours of the rosemary.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Sarah O'Brien. Food preparation by Kerrie Ray. Creative concept by Belinda So.

This recipe is part of our Bakeproof: Christmas baking with fresh herbs column. 

View previous Bakeproof columns and recipes here.

Anneka's mission is to connect home cooks with the magic of baking, and through this, with those they love. For hands-on baking classes and baking tips, visit her at BakeClub. Don't miss what's coming out of her oven via Facebook,Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

The clever imprinting of rosemary sprigs of the dough gives a gorgeous finish to these sweet, buttery mouthfuls.