Honey-Drizzled Chamomile Shortbread (Plus 7 Other Chamomile Recipes) (2024)

ByKristen Smith, Herbalist & Aromatherapist

Chamomile makes a lovely tea for the evening, butthere’s no need to stop there. Chamomile’s flavor shines in this oat shortbread, making it perfect for an after-dinner dessert or afternoon treat.

Chamomile is clearly a very useful herb to have in the home with all sorts of beneficial herbal actions that are still gentle enough to be used on the whole family.

But good news for moms: chamomile isn’t just useful, it has a wonderful flavor!

The herb makes a wonderful tea on its own, lightly sweetened with honey. It’s scent is reminiscent of apples (and chamomile’s name comes from a Greek word that means ground, or earth, apple), but the taste is also slightly floral.

Chamomile’s flavor is also delightful in other recipes. On a quest to make a nice light cookie that would be suitable to enjoy in the evening, I created this Honey-Drizzled Chamomile Oat Shortbread that reallyis lovely. It’s just slightly sweet, not heavy, and scented with chamomile.

It might become your new favorite way to enjoy chamomile!

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The springboard for this recipe was the shortbread recipe in my friend Katie Mae’s eBook Steeped: Simple Nourishing Teas and Treats. She has all sorts of variations, so I knew chamomile would work well, too.

I also wanted to use oat flour. Oats have a mild sweetness of their own, and what’s more comforting than an oatmeal cookie?

I had trouble with freshly ground oat flour holding together in the shortbread at first, though. Enter a little arrowroot powder, and problem solved.

I think you’ll enjoy these!

Honey-Drizzled Chamomile Oat Shortbread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oat flour (I ground the flour from oat groats on the pastry flour setting of my WonderMill)
• 2 T arrowroot powder (you can find it here)
• 1//4 cup unrefined cane sugar (like Rapadura)
• 1/4 t. sea salt
• 2 T. powdered chamomile (see note below on doing this at home)
• 1/2 cup chilled salted butter
• 1 T. honey

Note:

You can purchase powdered chamomile from a reputable provider like Mountain Rose Herbs, or you can grind and siftwhole chamomile flower headsat home. To do this, simply place about 3 tablespoons of flower heads in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder and process for about 30 seconds. Then sift through a sieve to remove any large parts remaining.

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients together thoroughly.
2. Cut in the chilled butter with knives, a pastry blender, or a large fork until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is evenly distributed.
3. Press the mixture together to form a ball, cover, and chill for another 1-2 hours if possible.
4. Preheat the oven to 325.
5. Press the mixture into an 8×8 square pan, then smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 25 minutes.
6. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then slice into squares with a sharp knife. Allow to cook completely in the pan, then cut again if needed.
7. Drizzle the cookies with honey, remove from pan, and enjoy!

This makes 16 square cookies.

7 More Chamomile Recipes

With so many excellent uses for chamomile, there are also many recipes to try that feature the herb! As you learn about chamomile, consider giving one or a few of these a try.

• This diaper rash balm from Vintage Remedies features chamomile along with other skin-soothing flowers.
• Peaches are in season now, making these Peach Chamomile Popsicles the perfect late summer treat!
• Chamomile makes an excellent ingredient to include in a homemade skincare routine, like with this Soothing Chamomile Toner.
• Chamomile teams up with other relaxing herbs in this Calming Tea for Frazzled Nerves.
• My Soothing Lavender, Calendula, and Chamomile Hard Lotion Bars combine three soothing floral botanicals for a healing hard lotion.
• This Tranquil Tea features chamomile, lemongrass or lemon balm, and rose petals. How lovely!
• Try a Chamomile & Clay Face Mask for a special facial treatment.

What’s your favorite way to use chamomile?