The icebox cookie is the most civilized way to make cookies: the dough is rolled into a log, frozen, sliced thin, and baked in minutes – no scooping, no chilled-batter wait between batches. This rosemary version from a Chinese home baker adds fresh chopped rosemary to a classic butter shortbread and rolls the frozen log in coarse sugar for a sparkling edge. I tested it as written, and it is the cookie I now keep a frozen log of in the freezer for unexpected guests.
Mi die xiang bing gan (迷迭香饼干) is rosemary cookie – a crisp butter shortbread perfumed with fresh rosemary, made the icebox way: the dough rests as a frozen log, then slices into even rounds. The original is a careful 7-step recipe with precise weights – 70 g butter, 38 g sugar, 100 g flour – and the charming instruction to remove the rosemary’s main stem and chop the leaves.
What Are Rosemary Cookies (Mi Die Xiang Bing Gan)?
Mi die xiang bing gan (迷迭香饼干) are Chinese home-baked butter cookies flavored with fresh rosemary. They belong to the icebox-cookie family: a simple butter-flour-sugar dough, perfumed with chopped herbs, shaped into a log, frozen, sliced thin, and baked until the edges turn golden. The rosemary gives them a savory, aromatic edge that makes them feel like a tea-time upgrade to a plain shortbread.
The technique is the classic icebox method. Butter is creamed with sugar until fluffy, egg is worked in, flour and chopped rosemary are folded in, and the dough is shaped into a cylinder, wrapped, and frozen for at least an hour. The frozen log is then rolled in coarse sugar – the original’s sparkle – and sliced into 8-10 mm (1/3 in) rounds before a 180°C (356°F) bake of 15-20 minutes. The result is crisp, fragrant, and dangerously easy to keep eating.
For the classic Chinese shortbread cookie, my traditional Chinese shortbread cookies are the no-herb original of this family.
1Chinese Shortbread Cookies (Tao Su)A classic, nostalgic Chinese bakery treat. These Tao Su cookies are famous for their sandy, melt-in-your-mouth texture. This nut-free version uses corn oil and cake flour to achieve the perfect crumb without being greasy.Check out this recipe
Why This Version Works
- The icebox method gives perfect slices. A frozen log cuts into even, identical rounds – the original’s shape is a chilled cylinder, not scooped balls.
- Fresh rosemary, chopped fine. The original removes the main stem and chops the leaves – fine chop spreads the aroma evenly through the dough.
- Butter creamed until fluffy. A full minute of creaming, then two more with the sugar – the aeration that makes the cookies crisp and light.
- Coarse sugar on the frozen log. Rolling the frozen dough in coarse sugar creates the sparkling, crackly edge – the original’s finishing touch.
- An hour in the freezer. The chill firms the dough for clean slicing and keeps the cookies from spreading in the oven.
Equipment Needed
- A hand or stand mixer for the butter
- Plastic wrap for the log
- A sharp knife for the slices
- A baking tray lined with paper
Ingredients
- 70 g (2.5 oz / 5 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 38 g (3 tbsp) fine sugar
- 100 g (3.5 oz / 3/4 cup) cake or all-purpose flour
- 20 g (1 1/2 tbsp) egg liquid (about 1/3 of a large egg)
- 1 small pinch of salt
- 4 g (about 2 tbsp) fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine (main stem removed)
- Coarse sugar, for the edges
Ingredient Notes
Butter: Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature – the original uses 70 g (2.5 oz / 5 tbsp). Softened, not melted; the creaming needs the butter pliable but intact.
Rosemary: 4 g (about 2 tablespoons) of fresh leaves, with the woody main stem removed and the leaves chopped fine. Fresh is essential – dried rosemary would be dusty and harsh. My butter sugar toast shares the butter-sugar aromatics.
Egg liquid: 20 g (1 1/2 tbsp) of whisked egg, added in three parts – each addition whipped until fully incorporated before the next, giving the butter a fluffy, cream-like texture.
Flour: Cake flour for a more tender crumb, or all-purpose for a firmer cookie – the original uses low-gluten flour (100 g / 3.5 oz).
Prep & Mise en Place
Soften the butter at room temperature, bring the egg to room temperature, and chop the rosemary fine (stem removed). Sift the flour.
The sequence: cream the butter (1 minute), add the sugar and salt (2 minutes), add the egg in three parts, fold in the flour, then the rosemary. Shape into a log, wrap, and freeze at least 1 hour before slicing and baking.
Cooking Process
Step 1 – Prep the Rosemary and Butter
Remove the rosemary’s main stem and chop the leaves fine. Soften the butter and bring the egg to room temperature – the original’s mise en place.
Step 2 – Cream the Butter, Then the Sugar
Cream the softened butter with a mixer for about 1 minute until smooth, then add the sugar and salt and beat for 2 more minutes, until the butter is pale and fluffy.
Step 3 – Add the Egg in Three Parts
Add the egg liquid in three additions, beating each until fully incorporated before the next. The butter should end up light, fluffy, and cream-like.
Step 4 – Fold In the Flour, Then the Rosemary
Sift in the flour and fold with a spatula until just combined, then fold in the chopped rosemary. Do not overmix – the dough should come together softly.
Step 5 – Shape and Freeze the Log
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, shape it into a cylinder, and freeze for at least 1 hour. The chill firms the dough for clean slicing and prevents spread in the oven.
Step 6 – Roll in Coarse Sugar and Slice
Roll the frozen log in coarse sugar, then slice it with a sharp knife into 8-10 mm (1/3 in) rounds. The sugar on the log’s surface becomes the sparkling, crackly edge.
Step 7 – Bake at 180°C Until the Edges Turn Golden
Bake at 180°C (356°F), middle rack, for 15-20 minutes – the original’s cue is when the edges turn golden brown. Cool on the tray briefly, then move to a rack. Crisp, fragrant, and gone fast.
Common Mistakes When Making Rosemary Cookies
1. Cookies that spread into blobs. Cause: the log not frozen long enough. Fix: a full hour in the freezer – the cold dough holds its shape in the oven.
2. A tough, dense cookie. Cause: overmixing the flour. Fix: fold just until combined – the dough should come together softly.
3. Harsh, dusty rosemary. Cause: dried rosemary or an unchapped stem. Fix: fresh leaves, stem removed, chopped fine.
4. Uneven, crumbly slices. Cause: slicing before the log is firm. Fix: freeze fully, and use a sharp knife for clean rounds.
5. Burnt edges, raw centers. Cause: the oven too hot. Fix: 180°C (356°F) and watch for the golden edges – the original’s cue.
6. Lumpy, greasy dough. Cause: cold butter or rushed egg additions. Fix: soften the butter fully and add the egg in three parts, beating each in.
Variations
Other herbs: Thyme or lavender replace rosemary with a different aroma – the method is identical. My smiling sesame cookies show the sesame direction.
Lemon: A teaspoon of lemon zest with the sugar brightens the butter – a classic pairing with rosemary.
Whole-wheat: Replace a quarter of the flour with whole wheat for a nuttier cookie – expect a slightly firmer crumb.
The pastry family: For flaky butter pastries, my Chinese butterfly pastry is the laminated sibling of these cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze the dough? Yes – the frozen log keeps for up to a month; slice and bake what you need, straight from frozen.
Can I skip the coarse sugar? Yes – the cookies still work, they just lose the sparkling, crackly edge.
Why three egg additions? Each addition whips into the butter fully before the next, building the fluffy, stable cream that makes the cookies light.
How long do they keep? Sealed at room temperature, 1 week – if they last that long.
Can I use salted butter? Yes – skip the pinch of salt.
How to Serve
Serve the cookies with tea or coffee – the rosemary makes them a tea-time upgrade. They pair with steam-baked milk chiffon cake and matcha chiffon cake for a sweet spread, or with coconut bread strips and milk bread rolls for a baking-day table.
Storage & Reheat
Store the baked cookies sealed at room temperature for up to 1 week. The frozen dough log keeps up to 1 month. Re-crisp stale cookies in a 150°C (300°F) oven for 5 minutes. Do not refrigerate baked cookies – they stale faster.
Allergen Notice
This recipe contains gluten (flour), egg, and dairy (butter). It is free of soy, nuts, and shellfish.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
About the Author & Recipe Development
I am Lin, a professional Chinese chef and food writer with a decade in restaurant kitchens before turning to recipes. This xiachufang home baker’s icebox cookie is precise and friendly – exact grams, the stem-removal note, the golden-edge cue – and the frozen-log method is genuinely useful. I tested it as written, confirmed the one-hour freeze matters for clean slices, and kept the coarse-sugar sparkle. I have not tested every herb substitution, so thyme and lavender remain your experiments.
Authoritative References
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service – Safe Temperature Chart for egg and dairy handling and baked-good storage.
Rosemary Butter Cookies (Mi Die Xiang Bing Gan): Icebox Slices
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer
- Plastic Wrap
- Sharp Knife
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 70 g unsalted butter, softened 2.5 oz, about 5 tbsp
- 38 g fine sugar 3 tbsp
- 100 g cake or all-purpose flour 3.5 oz, about 3/4 cup
- 20 g egg liquid 1 1/2 tbsp, about a third of a large egg
- 1 small pinch salt
- 4 g fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine about 2 tbsp; stem removed
- coarse sugar, for the edges
Instructions
- Remove the rosemary stem and chop the leaves fine; soften the butter and warm the egg.
- Cream the butter about 1 minute, then beat in the sugar and salt for 2 minutes until fluffy.
- Add the egg in three parts, beating each fully in.
- Fold in the sifted flour, then the chopped rosemary.
- Shape into a log, wrap, and freeze at least 1 hour.
- Roll the frozen log in coarse sugar and slice into 8-10 mm (1/3 in) rounds.
- Bake at 180°C (356°F) for 15-20 minutes until the edges turn golden.
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