Because it’s made of SHORTBREAD and JAM! GEDDIT!?!?!?!
If being alive for 23 years has taught me anything, it’s that Valentine’s Day is a time for being a total goofball, spending zero to no money, WAAAAY overusing puns, and just having a good old laugh with whoever you’re with.
Which is why I created this shortbread message, which I feel is relevant, whether you’re celebrating a Valentine’s, a Galentine‘s, or a Palentine’s.
It has a crisp foundation layer of vanilla-scented shortbread, topped with a layer of raspberry jam perked up with some chopped fresh rosemary and a lil’ lemon zest. And then, of course, I topped it with the most ridiculous, pun-tacular message I could think of! PUNS!
That rosemary jam is a total winner. I was almost going to title it “love jam” but then I misappropriated Coco Chanel’s advice and took one thing away before I hit publish. I think it was the right decision.
The cool thing about this dough is that it’s super-forgiving, so you can cut and re-roll and re-cut and do what you will to it! Which is super handy, because I free-handed those letters, and screwed it up many a time.
I recommend finding a font you like, typing out your message, and then using that as a guide to cut out your letters. Heck you could even make a stencil! You’d be way more organised than me.
What’s your policy on Valentine’s Day? Do you revel in it, throw pink confetti all day even at strangers, and wear a pink suit made of balloons? Or are you more of the ‘wear black and ignore it’ type? Or the ‘take the puns, cookies and chocolates and leave the rest’ kind?
Honestly, I have been known to cycle through all three phases. What’s your jam? (<—–see what I did there?)
xx Sarah.
- 9 oz (250g) butter
- 1 cup (160g) icing sugar
- 1½ cups (225g) plain flour
- ½ cup (75g) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- ⅔ cup (210g) raspberry jam
- zest of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
- Place the butter, icing sugar, plain flour, cornstarch and vanilla into the bowl of a food processor.
- Process in short bursts until the dough comes together.
- Split the dough into two and wrap one in plastic and put it in the fridge.
- Roll the other piece of dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap to ¼in ½ cm and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Once the freezer dough is nice and firm, cut out your desired message/shapes and place them back in the freezer.
- Put the oven on to preheat to 375F/180C.
- Take the dough scraps, and the other half of the dough from the fridge, and press them into a lined 12 by8 inch (20 by 30cm).
- Mix together the jam, lemon zest and rosemary, and spread on top of the pressed out dough.
- Arrange your frozen dough cut-outs on top of the jam, and bake the whole thing for 20-25 minutes or until a light golden brown.
- Let it cool completely in the tin, before giving to your boyfriend, girlfriend, priest, sister, gardener, therapist, grandad, bikini waxer.
OH my gosh that’s too funny! Such a clever idea—and i never say no to shortbread!
Your blog is apparently my jam because I keep saving all these recipes!
Woah this is soooo Clever…i even think this is waaay too cute to eay it. But how not to eat that, looks so Scruptious i mean.. Raspberries and Rosemary Toguether must be heaven it’s remindsme my Strawberries and black Pepper Mermelatta.
Will you be my valentine? i sort of love you for this (that’s weird, but i’m going for it). and yes, valentine’s day, is so not my jam (i don’t take it very seriously), but I’ll take this shortbread with jam any day of the week.
This is too cute! Love this!
A big valentine that you can share with everyone? THat’s so much fun!
YOU are my freaking jam. I love this! Happy V day!
best valentine’s dessert EVER! valentine’s day is the perfect time for silly puns :)! … and shortbread cookies!!!
What a fun idea! They look very delicious.
Happy V_Day!
These look so yummy. Can’t go wrong with shortbread.
I don’t know how to feel about this holiday, honestly. Now that I’ve been in a pretty long-term relationship, we try not to put too much pressure on it. It’s just one day out of the year anyway. I’ll take a nice dinner and some cocktails and call it a night.
this is super cute! happy valentine’s day!
Aaaaahhhh, too much! Puns are my jam, shortbread is my jam, and YOU are my jam, because this is amazing. I heart you big time.
Aaaah printed!!! I adore “savoury” herbs in desserts; you’re a wizard!
haha – I love your approach to Valentine’s Day! I don’t like excluding people who don’t feel romantic love, so I love the punny ideas. And rosemary in raspberry jam is so intriguing. I am successfully keeping my rosemary alive inside this winter and I am going to try this.