In honor of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to post a cookie that would be perfect to make for loved ones and friends. Most of the cookie recipes I post are just oozing with sweetness (if you hadn’t figured it out yet, I love everything sweet). But these are much simpler, with just a hint of sweetness. They are a twist on the traditional shortbread cookies. I decorated them with red sprinkles to help give them a festive feel, but you could also just use clear decorative sugar if you’d like them to be simpler. If you want the more traditional Valentine’s Day cookie, see my post from last year!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (to soften, leave out on counter for 30 minutes, or microwave for 10-15 seconds)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg white, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup decorating sugar

1. In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add the whole egg and the vanilla. Scrape down the sides.

2. While mixing on low speed, add the flour, rosemary, and salt. Mix until everything is incorporated.

3. Place the ball of dough onto a floured cutting board and use a knife to cut the dough in half. Roll each into a log. Wrap each log tightly with parchment paper and place in the freezer for one hour, or until firm. When placing them in the freezer, make sure to lay them flat.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place both logs on a cutting board and brush each one with the beaten egg white.

5. In front of the first log, make a line of sprinkles. Then roll both logs in the sprinkles until all the edges are covered. Then slice them into 1/4 inch-thick circles. Place them on a baking sheet (use parchment paper, or spray them with canola oil) and bake for 18-20 mins. You want the edges to start to turn a light brown.

I packaged these up in old jars with ribbons to share with friends!