rosemary & strawberry shortbread

A house down the street and around the corner has the largest rosemary bush I have ever seen. As my rosemary garden amounts to a long-dead pile of woody bits protruding from an old pot, I covertly steal handfuls of rosemary from this unsuspecting neighbor's stash whenever J and I take walks. Then my hands and pockets are all full and sticky all the way home and I smell lovely, radiating that soapy, herby goodness. (Don't judge me. It's like stealing sand from the beach; there's so much of it, no one misses a handful.) Anyway, after one such walk, I was inspired to make rosemary shortbread. Lucky for us (and for Topher, who was over at the time), there was some heavy whipping cream in the fridge. And some strawberries. Hence: rosemary strawberry shortbread. Ta da!

Note #1: I realize that a little sprig of rosemary would have been more appropriate as a garnish than a mint leaf. But I used up my whole hoard of rosemary. And I was too lazy to walk the blocks to the neighbor's house. (I really need to re-plant my herb pots--one is full of rosemary and basil sticks, the other looks like a gigantic head of green hair--it's actually an overflowing mop of oregano.)

Note #2: Topher ate the entire batch. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he consumed a stick and a half of butter in one go.

rosemary and strawberry shortbread
(adapted from Gourmet magazine)

gather.
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons mild honey
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling (optional)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp sugar
Sliced strawberries and rosemary sprigs for garnish

get to work.
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and rosemary in a bowl.
Mix together butter, honey, and confectioners sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed, then add flour mixture and mix until dough resembles coarse meal with some small butter lumps. Gather dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until it just comes together, about 8 times. Roll out between 2 sheets of parchment paper, and cut out rounds. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown, 20-25 min. (Optional: sprinkle rounds with granulated sugar before baking.) Cool completely.
Whip cream with sugar until soft peaks form. Top shortbread with sliced strawberries and rosemary sprigs. Fatten up your friends (they probably need it).