T’was the day before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except the parents, trying frantically to finish some wrapping and cooking and all the last minute things they put off until now. Wow. Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas? Despite a marathon wrapping session the other day, I still have quite a few presents to wrap. And I have food to cook. And guests to entertain. And kids to try to wrangle and keep from getting too wild in their excitement. All of which is to say that this last post today is going to have to be a short one. No lengthy story from me. Just a few quick words and the recipe!

I saw a conventional flour and sugar version of these on The Black Peppercorn , and I loved the idea of these flavours so much, I decided I had to recreate them in something I could eat. So I set about making an almond flour version. And they are wonderful. I will say, the shortbread itself is a touch on the soft side and fairly fragile on the first day. But it does firm up nicely after a day sitting out in the open air. And as a vessel to get that cranberry/rosemary/orange flavour to my mouth, it works perfectly. That, after all, was the point! They are quite quick and easy to throw together, in case you are in need of one last treat for your holiday table.

So, my friends, followers and readers…I wish everyone a happy, safe and fun holiday. It is a busy time for me and I have family here from out of town. But I hope to see you all on the flip side.

Joyeux Noel!

Cranberry Rosemary Shortbread

Shortbread:
2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup unsweetened dried cranberries, minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

Glaze:
1/4 cup powdered erythritol
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 1/2 tbsp orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a food processor, combine almond flour, butter, erythritol, xanthan gum and cayenne. Pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs and just begins to clump together. Press mixture evenly and firmly into a 10-inch diameter glass or ceramic tart pan. With a sharp knife, score into 16 even wedges.

Bake 18 minutes, until light golden brown, and then turn off oven. Prop oven door open with a wooden spoon and let sit until oven is cool, about 1 hour. Carefully re-cut the shortbread along the score marks.

For the glaze, whisk together the powdered erythritol, orange zest and orange juice in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cooled shortbread in pan.

Serves 16. Each shortbread has 3.8g of carbs and 1.7g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2.1g.