Calendula and Thyme Shortbread Cookies
Calendula & Thyme Shortbread Cookies: A Lesson in Empire-Building the Feminine Way 🌿✨
Mogul mamas, let’s talk strategy. Not the kind with spreadsheets and quarterly projections — I mean the kind our grandmothers knew. The one that begins in the kitchen, barefoot, apron tied, herbs in hand, where power and peace can steep together in the same cup.
See, every empire worth keeping starts with a calm ruler. And calm, my love, is not a luxury — it’s a weapon. When the world is sprinting toward burnout, we become the ones who slow down, who stand in the golden hour light and fold butter into flour like a sacred rite.
Today’s ritual? Calendula & Thyme Shortbread Cookies.
Calendula — the sunshine healer — has been soothing hearts and smoothing jagged edges for centuries. Thyme, with its quiet courage, whispers to the immune system and clears the mental fog so you can think like the strategist you are. Together, they turn a simple dessert into a spell for clear vision and soft power.
Baking them is an act of reclamation. As you cream the butter and sugar, you’re reminding your nervous system: we are not in a rush. As the dough rests in the fridge, you’re giving yourself permission to pause. And when the cookies bake, filling your home with lemon and earth, you’re practicing the kind of leadership our ancestors understood — the leadership that begins with nourishment.
Because here’s the truth:
An empire built on urgency will crumble.
An empire built on reciprocity, rest, and ritual? That’s dynasty material.
So bake the cookies. Brew the tea. Call in the kids to roll dough beside you, teaching them that herbs aren’t just for flavor — they’re for fortitude.
And when you finally bite into one of these golden discs, know that you’re not just feeding your body — you’re feeding your lineage.
Recipe below, anointing above.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chilling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 18 cookies
Calories 152kcal
Recipe courtesy of Colleen @ Grow Forage Cook Ferment
Ingredients
14 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp lemon juice optional, but use 2 more Tbsp butter in its place
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
3-4 Tbsp minced fresh calendula flower petals
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme
pinch salt
Instructions
Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the egg yolk, lemon juice and lemon zest (if using) and stir to combine. Then add the flour, arrowroot, calendula, thyme, and salt.
Gently stir everything together until the dough barely holds together. It will seem a bit floury, but that’s ok.
Take the dough out of the bowl and form it into a log shape.
Wrap it tightly with parchment paper, twisting the ends to help hold it all together.
Put in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes, or until firm. You can store the dough for several days in the fridge, or for several weeks in the freezer, if need be.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300°F. Slice the log into 1/4 inch rounds.
Put them on a parchment lined baking sheet, about an inch or so apart. They don’t really spread much.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check them closely after 25 minutes, as they will start to brown pretty quickly. Take them out when only the edges just barely start to turn golden. The centers will still be fairly soft. Let them cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They will firm up as they cool.
Notes
Alternate choices of herbs and flowers: nasturtiums, violets, borage, lavender basil, oregano, and sage would all work beautifully.