Strawberry Thyme Shortbread Cookies

I've been wanting to make these cookies for over a year, but never got around to it because it involves something I've never done before, and frankly was afraid wouldn't work for me-- drying strawberries. It sounds easy enough, right? Well, it wasn't. And it didn't turn out the way it was supposed to. But I went ahead and used them in the dough anyway, even though it was more a strawberry mush, rather than the dried strawberry chips I was expecting.

The ingredients

Also, I'd like you to know that it requires a lot of patience to pull fresh thyme leaves off without getting any stem (nobody likes to be picking sticks out of their teeth). Yes.

Thyme twigs

This blog is all about making do with what you have sometimes, and this recipe was no exception. I used a cup and plastic wrap to roll out the dough, since I have no rolling pin to speak of (though I have mentioned I'm in the market for a nice French one).

Waiting to be rolled out

Since I don't own a cookie cutter (and may not until years from now, unless it's in a goofy shape like a ghost maybe), I tried all number of lids in different sizes until finding that the lid to the cooking spray actually worked perfectly. It even had a tiny hole in the top to vent the air as I pushed down into the dough.

Cutting cookies (notice the outlines of all the other lid cutouts I tried...)

Chilling the dough

Anyway, I'm glad I finally made these, my kitchen smells like buttery spice and my fingers smell like thyme.

Dried Strawberries and Thyme Shortbread Cookies

from Tartelette

Makes about 2 dozen cookies (depending on the size of your cutter)

1 cup strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

1 stick butter (113gr) butter at room temperature

1/4 cup (50gr) sugar

2 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups (188gr) all purpose flour

2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme

pinch of salt

1/2 tablespoon of milk

Preheat your oven to 250F.

Place the strawberry slices in one single layer on a parchment paper line baking sheet and let them dry in the oven for about one hour. Let them cool completely. Chop the dried slices in small pieces and set aside. (I was out of parchment paper and had to use tin foil instead. Maybe that was part of the problem? But still, they shouldn't have been mushy...)

Turn the oven to 350F.

In a stand mixer (or by hand, this dough is very easy to mix), beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the flour, thyme, dried strawberries, pinch of salt and the milk and beat until the ingredients are just started to come together.

Stop the mixer and finish mixing the dough with your hands on a work surface.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies with your desired cookie cutter and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until just golden brown around the edges.

Supposed to be good with Strawberry Ice Cream.