When I went grocery shopping with a dear friend recently, I found myself in an indecisive mood.  I’d ooh and ahh at an item, put it in our cart, then soon mumble hesitantly and put it back on the shelf.  This time, one of those items was a box of really nice butter: grass-fed, high fat, European gold. I knew it would taste wonderful, but I could live with more standard butter, and goodness knows, I go through it fast.  When I got home, I found a block of the deluxe butter nestled between my raspberries and Brussels sprouts.  No, I hadn’t bought it by accident; my sweet friend had shared it with me as a gift!  It was one of the many gestures that illustrates my her generosity and thoughtfulness, making me feel uplifted and excited at once.

My dad was due to arrive the next afternoon, and sitting on my counter was a beautiful bottle of artisanal basil infused brandy that my husband had brought home a few days before.  As the combination of delicious items began calling to me, I remembered dad’s favorite cookie: shortbread — a rich treat that always showcases its creamy main ingredient.  Before I knew it, I’d started making him a tin of cookies using my special new butter and a glaze made from the liqueur.  Alongside the two, I’d add a bit of fresh basil and a burst of raspberries. The result was a delicious, decadent gift.  Here is the recipe.

Raspberry Basil Brandy Shortbread (makes 20 cookies)

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup good quality butter at soft room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if butter is salted)
• 1/3 cup raspberry preserves
• About 4 leaves fresh basil, cut into 20 small pieces
• 10 fresh raspberries, sliced to make 20 halves
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons brandy, preferably basil-infused

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Grease mini-muffin pan(s) well; set aside.*  Mix by hand the butter, flour, sugar, and salt if using.  Use hands to knead the dough until it’s smooth and sticks together.  Shape into balls a little smaller than a tablespoon each (about .5 – .6 ounce a piece), and press into greased mini muffin pan.  Use your thumb or the back of a spoon to make an indentation in each cookie, then fill each dent with a little less than a teaspoon of preserves.  Try to avoid letting much of the preserves touch the edges of the pan; do not overflow.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  The preserves will be bubbling and edges of cookies will have become toasty brown.

As soon as you’ve removed the cookies from the oven, place a snippet of basil and a half raspberry in the sticky center of each, pushing down gently. Use caution, as cookies and pan will be hot.  Let cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then remove (I found it easiest to wedge a butter knife gently between each cookie and the pan; they popped right out.)  Transfer cookies to a rack. 

Whisk the egg white in a large bowl and sift the powdered sugar over it.  Keep whisking as you pour the brandy into it, mixing well, until smooth and even.  Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of the glaze over each cookie.  Let glaze dry completely before transferring them to an airtight container — or simply devouring them. Cookies are best at room temperature the day they’re made; keep them chilled if you have leftovers.

Rich and buttery with a surge of raspberry in each bite, these succulent shortbread are a refreshing twist on a classic cookie.  The fresh basil leaf and brandy glaze offer a welcome hint of herbal flavor, while the crisp base melts in your mouth with decadent deliciousness.  I love knowing that these cookies started with a gift and ended as a gift, but there is one problem: I failed to save any for my butter-giving friend!  Thankfully, I’m already itching to make these again, and especially to share them.

*Maybe next time…  If you don’t prefer raspberries, I’m confident that almost any berry and preserves would work well in these cookies.  I suggest choosing a tart fruit to uphold the recipe’s complementary flavors.  Likewise, a different alcohol would work in the glaze, or a juice such as lemon or orange if you want to skip the booze. You can also skip the egg white and use a little more juice/spirits, but the glaze will not harden quite as quickly or thoroughly. Finally, I chose to use a mini muffin pan to let the shortbread shape into a sturdy base for its toppings, but you don’t have to use one.  Instead, place the dough balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving a couple of inches in between each, and press an indention into the center of each.  Fill with preserves, then freeze the sheet for 15-20 minutes.  Bake as instructed above, adding an extra minute or two to make up for the coldness of the dough.