Thoughts:
Shortbread, no matter how you cut it, is awesome. Rich, buttery, flaky. It’s made for a nice afternoon break with a steaming mug of tea and an enticing book. In this recipe, the spruce tips give the shortbread the slightest lemony kick, with just a hint of conifer. They’re rustic, delicious, and a little too easy to eat. I’ve been wanting to try out a few recipes with spruce tips for a few years now, but the season always seems to sneak by me.
For those who don’t know, spruce tips are those soft, light green new growths on spruce trees. Fortunately, at the new house there are several spruces well over a hundred feet tall. There’s no ignoring those. Even so, this post comes at the tail end of the season, even up here in Vermont. I apologize for that- I’m bad at getting foraging posts up in a timely manner! Hopefully you will remember these next spring…
To me, this shortbread fits perfectly with the cuisine of Winterfell. It’s a little too luxurious for Castle Black, although they need as much anti-scurvy greens as they can get. But can’t you just see the Stark kids of yesteryear nibbling on these tasty rounds? With a side of small beer? Because I definitely can.
What about you? Have you made anything with spruce tips?
Spruce Tip Shortbread Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup cane sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh spruce tips
Preheat oven to 325. Beat the butter and sugar together, then add the remaining ingredients, mixing until it’s crumbly. You may need to fiddle with the proportions a bit- too soft and the shortbread will melt, but too dry, and it won’t hold together. Chill for at least an hour. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Roll out your dough to about 1/4″ thick, and cut into shapes with cookie cutters (Christmas tree cutters would be cute- I didn’t think of that). Place the shortbreads on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, then bake for around 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are just starting to turn golden. Let them cool slightly before gobbling. Enjoy! 
Spruce tips! What an amazing idea! I used to love nibbling on those whenever my mum wouldn’t look my way… Including them in a recipe never occurred to me but now, reading this, I can’t figure why. Thank you! :D
Using spruce tips in beer is a very old ingredient.
Would Rosemary be a good substitute? Welcome to VT!
I’ve seen a recipe for rosemary shortbread, though I don’t know how they taste compared to spruce.
I’ve made fresh rosemary shortbread often as my son as a large bush in his yard….I use about the same amount as the spruce tips recommended…nice with tea…anxious to try the spruce!
Rosemary shortbread would be amazing – there’s a rosemary biscuit here in Australia: it’s fantastic!
It’s possibly one of those acquired tastes, but it’s really good.
Much as I would love to bake these awesome-looking treats, spruce doesn’t exactly grow here in the tropics. Would young pine needles be all right to use, though?
I bet they would work great! Just be sure to get them when they are soft and new.
Most pine tips are lovely in cooking, baking or teas. We’ve been eating them for the last month or so. Our favourite use? Pine tip simple syrup! http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/spruce-or-fir-tip-syrup
Looks wonderful! Thanks for the recipe, I featured it on my blog:
http://www.colorfulcanary.com/2015/10/eat-your-evergreens-17-surprising.html
These are some of the best cookies I have ever made! My only suggestion is that you do not need to preheat the oven before you put the dough in the refrigerator for and hour.