Brown Sugar Shortbread with Walnuts and Rosemary

A spin on traditional shortbread

Brown sugar shortbread with walnuts and rosemary is a spin on traditional shortbread.

Rosemary and orange zest give the shortbread an aromatic quality, while the walnuts add another layer of texture.

Wholemeal spelt flour

I also love the grainy texture of wholemeal spelt flour, so I use it as often as I can when I’m baking.

Using different herb and nut combinations

I’m always looking for ways to incorporate the herbs from my garden.

This brown sugar shortbread works well with thyme and lemon myrtle, too.

You can also use other nuts, such as hazelnuts or almonds.

I’ve been experimenting a lot in the kitchen these past few weeks while we’ve been in social isolation. I confess I have a sweet tooth. This means that I tend to bake things when there are a lot of people at home so that I don’t eat it all myself! With three kids needing breakfast, lunch and dinner, together with snacks in between, there’s been a lot of cooking going on around here! Has it been the same at your place? My kids are returning to school this week, so my daughter and I made a batch of brown sugar shortbread to give to her hard-working teacher.

Best wishes,

Amanda

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Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Brown Sugar Shortbread with Walnuts and Rosemary

Brown sugar shortbread with walnuts and rosemary is a spin on traditional shortbread with the earthy texture of wholemeal spelt flour and a hint of orange.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Snack

Servings: 20 shortbread biscuits

Author: Amanda Lawson

Ingredients

• 250 g butter, softened and cut into cubes
• 100 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
• 300 g (2 cups) wholemeal spelt flour
• 30 g (1/4 cup) walnuts, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 1 orange, zest only
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

• Cream butter and suagr until light and fluffy.
• Add all other ingredients and mix well.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until you have a long round log.
• Cut the log in half, and form each round log into an angular rod shape. Wrap each log in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour until the logs are hard.
• When you're ready to bake the shortbread, preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced) and remove the dough from the fridge.
• Cut the logs into thin slices, about 1 cm in thickness.
• Place cut dough onto baking trays lined with baking paper. They will spread out a bit, so give them a bit of space.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown (they will be slightly soft to touch). They will continue to cook a little once you remove them from the oven, and then harden once cooled.
• Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Notes

If you're in a hurry, pop the dough mixture into the freezer for 10 minutes. You can then make round cookies by rolling teaspoonfuls into little balls. Flatten them a little on the baking tray and press into each one with a fork.

The uncooked dough can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or popped in the freezer. I often do this with half of the dough mixture so that I can have fresh shortbread another time.