Rosemary Shotbread

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, or 2 teaspoons dried
2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white or brown rice flour (available at natural foods stores)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar for topping (optional)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream the butter in a large bowl until pale yellow and light. Add the sugar, and continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy.

Add both flours, the salt, and the rosemary to the butter mixture, and mix until thoroughly combined. The dough will be somewhat soft. Refrigerate it for 1 hour, if necessary, so that it is firm enough to roll.

Roll the dough out to form a rectangle about 10 x 14 inches, and 1/4 inch thick. Cut the cookies into 1-1/2 x 2-inch rectangles or any other shape you like. Place them about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle them with the sugar topping if desired, and bake in the center of the oven until they are gold at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven, and transfer them to wire racks to cool. Pack in an airtight container. The cookies will keep, their flavor improving, for at least a week.

Yield: About 3 dozen cookies