I swear they make cookie cutters in every imaginable shape these days. Marissa and I have been working on our “green thumbs” lately, and after a long day of tending to our plants, I headed over to Sur la Table for some R+R. While perusing the cutter selection, I found cactus cutters, fitting in perfectly with our new attempted love for succulents. Naturally, I had to bake up some succulents it was okay for us to kill.

This marbled shortbread recipe is easy and can apply to literally anything you’d like. I added some food coloring to make mine shades of green, but the options are endless. I got sloppy here, but luckily, marbled always looks good.

Marbled Shortbread

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c unsalted butter (softened)
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract (use vanilla if you don’t like the sweetness, or split half and half with another flavor!)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 c flour
• Food coloring of choice

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 and line a sheet with parchment paper.
• In your electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the extract and salt and mix until well-incorporated.
• Slowly add flour, a little at a time, until mixed.
• Split the dough into separate batches (2, 3, 4?!) depending on what look you want.
• To marble the dough, take the separate batches of dough and press together gently.
• Cut or tear the dough in half and press together, repeat.
• Roll into a log and wrap tightly in plastic, cooling the dough in the fridge for at least an hour prior to baking.
• Roll out with your baking pin and cut your shapes as desired.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.