essential oils // holiday glazed shortbread cookies

the holidays are coming and it's time to get baking!  every year i enjoy getting my arms elbow deep in flour and powdered sugar and butter to make treats for our dear friends that live both near and far.  here in the watters household we feel a baked goods spell "love" so we tend to go a bit overboard making goodies both savory and sweet to give as little holiday gifts throughout the festive seasons of thanksgiving and christmas.  as i've been slowly growing my essential oil pantry in our kitchen, i decided 'twas time to incorporate a few of my oils into my favorite glazed shortbread cookie recipe.  this time, i went with orange, nutmeg, and rosemary and they turned out better then i could have dreamed! 

why use essential oils in cooking or baking?  essential oils are more potent than dried and fresh herbs.  unlike dried herbs, which lose a majority of their healing nutrients during the drying process, therapeutic-grade (not aromatherapy grade, there is a significant difference between the two) oils do not.  oils from young living are safe for cooking and dietary supplementation because they have a chemical structure similar to human cells and tissues, thereby making them compatible with human protein.  when consumed, young living oils are readily identified and accepted by the body.  

not only are these shortbread cookies fairly simple to prepare, but they are extremely versatile when it comes to the essential oil you can use in the recipe.  a simple substitution can make these cookies completely different.  i think a lavender cookie with lemon icing sounds divine.  in keeping with the holiday season we made our shortbread gingerbread cookies with nutmeg, rosemary, and orange.   below you can find a list of other oils that would be perfect flavors substitutions, whether it be for the cookie itself or for the icing glaze.  it is important to know these oils are very, very concentrated and a little goes a long way.  i have found that my herbal oils (like rosemary and sage) are extremely potent.  you may want to put even a half of a drop into a recipe and test it before adding more.   i feel like i should also mention that not oils are safe to consume.  you should check the label on the oil and do your own research before ingesting any oils, no matter the brand.  it is important to practices caution with any oil or natural remedy you are using at home to ensure the safety of you and your family.  i get my information from the young living website and literature they have recommended in helping one understand the oil's potential.

essential oils good for cooking / baking:

lemon essential oil
lavender essential oil
basil essential oil
lime essential oil
peppermint essential oil
cinnamon bark essential oil
black pepper essential oil
dill essential oil
sage essential oil
tangerine essential oil

shortbread cookie ingredients: 

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

1 cup (two sticks) of unsalted butter room temperature 

1/2 cup of powered sugar 

3 drops of nutmeg oil or 2 drops of rosemary essential oil 

to prepare: 

in a separate bowl whisk the flour with the sea salt.  set aside. in the bowl of your mixer (or with your handheld mixer) beat the butter until smooth (about one minute).  add the sugar and beat until smooth (about two minutes).  beat in the oil of your choice.  gently stir the flour mixture just until incorporated.  flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic, and chill the dough for at least an hour or until firm.  preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle of the oven.  line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  

on a lightly floured surface roll the dough out into a 1/4 to 1/2 inch circle.  using your cookie cutter, cut your shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter.  place on the prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for about fifteen to twenty minutes.  do not skip this step!  this will firm up the cookies so they will maintain their shape when cooking.  bake your cookies from ten to fifteen minutes or until they are light golden brown.  cool on a wire rack.

orange essential oil glaze ingredients: 

1 cup of powdered sugar 

2 tablespoons of water

2 drops of orange essential oil

to prepare: 

mix all ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.  once your cookies have cooled on your drying rack, use your whisk to drizzle the orange glaze over your cookies.  the messier the better!  

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for more of my essential oil recipes, head here.  if you are interested in purchasing young living oils and becoming a member of my team leave me a note and i'll help you out, or head to this page to sign up to purchase your own kit.

note: you never have to sell anything when you become a wholesale member of young living.  in fact, most people don't!  being on my team just gives you heaps of education and support from other oil users like myself.  make sure you sign up wholesale to get your 24% off.  that is not offered to retail customers.  happy oiling, friends!