Pine Nut Rosemary Shortbread

YIELD: ~3 dozen small cookies

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
light pinch of fine-grain sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room emperature
⅔ cup sugar zest of one lemon
⅔ cup pine nuts, toasted and loosely chopped
1¼ teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1. Combine flour and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

2. In a separate large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Add the sugar and lemon zest and mix again, then add the flour mixture, nuts, and rosemary and mix until the dough goes just past the crumbly stage and begins to clump together (you don’t want to over mix, but under mixing will make the dough seem a bit dry, which can make it difficult to handle). Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.  Knead the dough just once or twice to bring it together, then divide it into a ball and flatten into a disk 1 inch thick.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll the dough out to ¼ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are beginning to brown on the bottom. The baking time will vary depending on the size of the cookies, taking less time for smaller cookies.

Recipe: California Milk Advisory Board