Rye and Rosemary Shortbread Squares
Yield
48
cookiesRich, savory-sweet rosemary shortbread cookies with a sesame seed edge.
Ingredients
- Dough
2 cups leaf lard (unsalted butter works too)
1.5 C granulated sugar
2 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 t sea salt
2 large eggs
4 C rye flour, as freshly ground as possible
- Sesame Coating
.5 cup sesame seeds (mix of black and white is fun but not crucial)
.5 C coarse brown sugar, demerara, or crumbled maple sugar
1 t flaky sea salt
Directions
- Cream lard until smooth and on medium high. Add sugar, rosemary and salt and mix one to two minutes more until lightened. Add eggs and mix on low to combine. Add rye flour one cup at a time and mix until flour is nearly incorporated. Scrape bowl and mix in any remaining dry flour by hand. With wet hands roll dough into two 2″ diameter logs (squared as in photos or round), wrap in freezer paper or parchment, refrigerate at least two hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F with racks on lower and upper thirds. Put silicone baking mats or parchment on two half sheet pans.
- Combine sesame coating ingredients in 9 by 13 dish or other raised-edge pan long enough to fit the dough log. Remove one log from fridge and unwrap. Coat log with sesame seed mixture, pressing to adhere, and cut to 1/4 inch slices. Arrange slices on trays one inch apart.
- Bake 25-27 minutes, switching trays front to back and top to bottom at 15 minutes. Remove cookies to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining log.
Notes
- Delicious with bloomy triple cream cheeses, aged cheddar, fruit, preserves.
