Sage-Scented Shortbread

I bought a bunch of sage at the farmers' market. I'm not usually a big fan of sage, but I like its touch in the brown butter sauce. I had some leftover after making the gnocchi, so I decided to make a sage-scented shortbread from the November 2007 issue of Bon Appetit. It's subtle and delicious. I'm not that great a baker, but I'm happy with these results.



2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh sage leaves or 2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces, room temperature

Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until dough comes together. Divide in half. Shape each dough piece into log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Chill until firm enough to slice, about 30 minutes.

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Cut each dough log into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rounds; place on sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Reverse sheets so bottom sheet is on top rack of oven and top sheet is on bottom rack. Bake until cookies are golden, about 15 minutes longer. Cool on racks.

Source: Bonappetit.com

~Ray