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Chamomile shortbread cookies, with one broken in half
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Chamomile Shortbread Cookies

Rich, buttery chamomile shortbread cookies made with salted butter and whole flower buds, dusted with a fine chamomile sugar.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Chill Time30 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 30 cookies*
Author: Karie

Ingredients

Chamomile Shortbread

  • 9 ounces salted butter very soft
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup brown rice flour
  • 2 tablespoons dried chamomile powdered or whole buds

Chamomile Sugar

  • 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground chamomile** see notes

Instructions

For the chamomile shortbread:

  • In a large bowl, cream the butter with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until whipped, light, and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the salt and stir to incorporate. Add the powdered sugar; mix until combined.
  • Sift together the flours and dried chamomile. (If using whole dry chamomile buds, grind them into a powder first. Remove any large pieces of stem that make it through the sifter, if necessary.)
  • Add flour mix to butter mixture; stir just until combined.
  • Roll dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4" inch thickness. Do NOT add flour - it will make the final texture of your cookies tough.
  • Chill dough until firm, about 20 minutes.
  • Cut out desired shapes. You can use a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or a fluted pastry wheel, like I did here. Re-roll any leftover dough scraps to cut more cookies as needed, but try to minimize re-rolling and shaping dough, as it will get tougher the more you work it.
  • Chill cut cookies again until firm, at least 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 325° F while chilling.
  • Bake until cookies are firm but not yet browning, about 12-15 minutes. Adjust cooking time if necessary, depending on cookie size (see notes).
  • Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes before applying chamomile sugar.

For chamomile sugar:

  • Combine sugar and chamomile until thoroughly mixed.
  • Sprinkle chamomile sugar lightly over freshly baked cookies.

Notes

*You can make the cookies any size you like. I made mine about 2×2 inches, which will yield 30-36 cookies.
**Need ground chamomile? Open a bag of pure chamomile tea or grind it yourself using a spice grinder or mortal and pestle.
Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.