It’s time to get honest. Brutally so. Are you feeling honest? You sure? K, good. I’m going to be honest too.
There are times when I’m not really all that open minded about food. That’s a foodie sin, isn’t it? People who love food are supposed to be up for anything. There are times where I just say, “well, that doesn’t sound good at all” and I move on to something familiar, like a cheeseburger and a chocolate chip cookie. Like the other day, I saw something on the Food Network that involved squeezing beef bone marrow out onto little crostinis. Yeah, see THAT falls into the Doesn’t Sound Good category for me.
That’s kind of extreme. There are probably a lot of people who would say the same thing. But really, how do you know unless you try it? I probably won’t be trying it anytime soon, as things like that do not make it to restaurant menus in rural Iowa, but I encourage others to try it. Sometimes I think it’s impossible for me to be a true foodie simply because of my location. That depresses me sometimes. Other times, I think it’s not so bad, as I’m not very often faced with the task of eating something unusual and embarrassing myself by not being able to eat it. LOL.
When I saw this particular cookie recipe, I originally put it in the Doesn’t Sound Good category. But for some reason I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was intrigued by the combination of a sweet cookie with a fresh herb. Fresh herbs are usually reserved for savory dishes, right? Nobody wants to eat a cookie that tastes like a pot roast or a pan sauce. Ha.
The herb in question here is rosemary. Personally, I love it. Since it’s currently sprouting like a weed in my backyard, I’m on the constant look out for ways to use it up. As I went back and fourth in my brain about whether or not to attempt these cookies, I went outside a plucked a fresh sprig off my plant. I gave it a big old whiff. Mmmmm. Fresh herbs. I decided right then and there that the aroma of rosemary wasn’t necessarily savory (like, say, chives. Or cilantro even.) It’s more floral than anything else. I immediately thought of lavender. Lavender is commonly used in desserts. That did it. I HAD to make these cookies. I set off on the task after dinner last night, which I NEVER do. NEVER. I do not bake in the evening unless I absolutely have to. It’s too much hassle, I’m prone to screw ups and the very last thing I want to be doing at 10 p.m. is cleaning a dirty kitchen. I was THAT hot for these cookies. I had to break my own rules and make these Rosemary Lemon Sandwich Cookies right away.
The results were really good! The rosemary is subtle, just a hint of something floraly in the background. It paired really well with the sweet/tanginess of the lemon. The cookies are tender and butter and the filling is super rich. The recipe was supposed to yield about 20 cookies and I only got 12. I for sure made them way too big. One will fill you up, as they are very rich. I thought they tasted better today after chilling overnight and bringing to room temp. The flavors and richness mellowed a bit. I only made one change to the original recipe. I swapped cream cheese for mascarpone in the filling as that’s what I had on hand. Worked out great!
I recommend giving these a try. Don’t be scared of the rosemary! And, let’s be honest again, how sophisticated does this sound? Serve these to your friends and watch them marvel at your culinary genius! Who would have thought a rosemary and lemon cookie could be so tasty?!
One year ago: Root Beer Pulled Pork with Carolina BBQ Sauce – this sauce was SO good. I need to make this again this summer!
ROSEMARY LEMON SANDWICH COOKIES (Recipe Source: Better Homes and Gardens)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary
- 2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup lemon curd (see the recipe I used here)
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (I subbed cream cheese)
- 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar (I omitted)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, rosemary, lemon peel, baking powder and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. With bottom of glass dipped in sugar flatten to 1/2-inch thickness. Bake 8 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack; cool.
3. Meanwhile, in small bowl combine lemon curd and mascarpone cheese. Spread on flat side of half of cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat side to filling. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately or refrigerate, in layers separated by waxed paper, in airtight container up to 24 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes about 20 cookies.
ENJOY! 🙂