Rosemary Whole Wheat Shortbread Cookies

I have always enjoyed baking desserts over preparing main meal dishes, so I searched for a new “dessert-ish” recipe using a less familiar spice on the rack in my kitchen. I tried making shortbread many years ago, but remember it falling apart as it came out of the dish. Thankfully, taking a cooking class with Helene Dujardin gave me the confidence to try one of the recipes from her site:

http://www.tarteletteblog.com/2009/05/recipe-rosemary-and-apricot-shortbread.html

I modified the recipe by using 1 cup of all-purpose flour and ¾ cup of whole wheat flour. I also used skim milk. The first batch of dough rolled out looking a bit dry; an internet search revealed that a recipe would benefit from 1 teaspoon of additional liquid for each cup of whole wheat flour substituted for regular flour. I added a bit more milk to the remaining dough, and the second batch rolled out wonderfully. 

I haven’t used my cookie cutters in years, so I couldn’t resist using interesting shaped ones! The peach-mango jelly already on hand worked very well in balancing out the savory flavor of the cookie, adding a soft touch and pleasant texture combined with the shortbread.

I have used rosemary a few times in the past when roasting a chicken, so this was a neat departure from the ordinary. I would serve these cookies at a formal event. Two book-group taste testers enjoyed the flavors and were perfectly happy with the plate of cookies that had not been made into "sandwiches" with jam. I prepared the leftover cookies with just a layer of fruit spread without the second cookie on top. Do you have a favorite "non-traditional" dessert?