I know what you’re thinking; shortbread cookies are a holiday cookie, best served in the winter months with an assortment of nuts, chocolates and warm spiced drinks. But these buttery floral lavender shortbread cookies tell a different story. With a sweet lavender fragrance of summer and a buttery melt in your mouth crisp cookie; they are the perfect shortbread to change the myth of a holiday cookie. Don’t you agree?!
I love baking with lavender! Actually, I love lavender in general! This beautiful plant is full of beauty and health properties.
A long time ago I dreamed of having a hobby lavender farm and it reminds me of a time when I used to live in South Africa in Clifton Beach. The streets and pathways are lined with bushes full of lavender and as I’d wait for the bus I’d rub my hands through the plants to let the oils of lavender be a natural perfume on my skin. I’d daydream of recipes to bake it with and would savour that scent until it drifted away!
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Icing sugar, sifted
- English Lavender Buds
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
Baking with Lavender
Lavender comes from the mint family so it’s not strange to be cooking and baking with lavender. It’s been a popular herb in the Mediterranean, Middle East and India where it was historically used for its scent in baths, clothes and hair as well as its medical properties. Today lavender can be found across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North and South America. With its beautiful flowering buds, alluring sweet scent and extensive uses it’s no wonder this plant’s presence has spread across the world.
You can find edible lavender buds at bulk food stores and organic specialty stores.
Shortbread Varieties
These shortbread cookies are a great base to create your own flavours. You can change out the lavender and add herbs and spices like; rosemary, lemon zest, chocolate, nuts – pecans, walnuts, etc.
Tips For Perfect Lavender Shortbread Cookies:
- Use Culinary Lavender: Make sure to you culinary lavender.
- Chill the Dough: Chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Chilling helps the dough firm up, making it easier to handle and shape.
- Chill Cookies Before Baking: Make sure your butter isn’t too soft when you are ready to bake. You can pop the tray of unbaked cookies into the fridge or freezer for 5-10 minutes to firm up the butter. When the butter is too soft it spreads out of the cookies as they bake.
- Uniformity in Ball Size: When rolling the dough into balls, aim for uniform size to ensure even baking. Using a cookie scoop can help achieve consistent portion sizes.
- Fork Technique: For beautifully patterned tops, use a fork to create uniform imprints on the flattened dough balls. Maintain consistent pressure while pressing down, ensuring even and professional-looking designs. Dip the fork in flour if it sticks to the dough.
Make Ahead
You can easily make this dough ahead of time to have cookies for another day. The best way is to roll the cookies into balls place them in a freezer bag and store in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze for up to two months. Let the cookies come down to room temperature before sliding a fork over the tops.
How to Make Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Step One: Make your cookie dough and refrigerate until the dough is firm. Then roll tablespoon sized balls and place them on a cookie sheet.
Step Two: Place the cookies approx. 1-2 inches apart. Use a fork and slide it across the tops of each cookie. Then sprinkle coarse sugar and lavender buds on top. Bake until crisp.
Lavender Shortbread Cookies
These lavender shortbread cookies have a delicate, sweet fragrance of summer. They are crisp, buttery and melt in your mouth. Not to mention they are the perfect summer shortbread to serve with a cup of tea!
- Prep Time: 60 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 36 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Cuisine: British
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons English Lavender Buds
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a mixer cream together butter and icing sugar. Add lavender, vanilla and salt, mix to combine.
- Add cornstarch and mix until smooth, add flour and mix to combine.
- Place dough in the fridge to firm up, approx. 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 300ËšF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll dough into 1 tablespoon size balls and place on a cookie sheet approx. 1 inch apart. Using a fork, press down on the tops of each ball and drag the fork across. If the fork is sticking you can dip the fork into flour before you press into each cookie.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the bottoms just start to brown.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze for a month.
You can change out the lavender and add your favourite flavours
ie. – rosemary, nuts, lemon, chocolate, etc.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 78
- Sugar: 1.7g
- Sodium: 52mg
- Fat: 5.2g
- Saturated Fat: 3.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 7.3g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 0.6g
- Cholesterol: 14mg
FAQ’s
When purchasing lavender for baking, make sure you are buying culinary lavender and it is free from pesticides or other harmful chemicals. It’s best to use organic culinary lavender whenever possible. You can also grow your own lavender plant and use its buds.
Yes, English lavender and culinary lavender are the same species of lavender and can be used interchangeably in cooking and baking. English lavender is a popular variety of lavender used for culinary purposes because it has a sweet, floral flavour that works well in baking; such as cookies, cakes, and ice cream. However, it’s important to make sure that the lavender you are using is specifically labeled as culinary lavender and is free of any pesticides or other harmful chemicals.
Yes, you can use fresh lavender instead of dried lavender in baking. Keep in mind that the flavour and potency of fresh lavender may differ from dried lavender. Fresh lavender has a more subtle flavor than dried lavender, so you may need to use more of it in your recipe to achieve the desired taste. Also, fresh lavender has more moisture than dried lavender, which can affect the texture and moisture in baked goods. To use fresh lavender in baking, simply chop the lavender flowers finely and incorporate them into your recipe as directed.
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Thank you for wonderful recipe. The small cookies are perfect for gatherings. The shortbread look so pretty added to a dessert table.
I have made the cookies several times now. I double the recipe, divide the dough into portions, roll the rough out into 1 inch logs and wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap. I refrigerate the logs a couple hours or overnight and then I slice the dough, roll into the 1 inch balls, press with the fork and bake. Works out great!
Janet, this comment makes me so happy. This was one of my first recipes that I sold and created for my dessert company many moons ago. I feel like this recipe doesn’t get enough credit!! I love how you make double batches, freeze and slice. Thank you for sharing, xo Alie!
Perfect lavender cookies! The first time I tasted lavender shortbread was at a lavender farm in South Africa. These take me back there. A few very minor changes for me — I subbed almond extract for half the vanilla. Next time I’ll go all in! In my mini chopper I whirled the icing sugar and lavender together instead of crushing the lavender. Having had experience with stiff doughs before I decided to form the cookies then refrigerate the entire tray. A size 60 scoop packed full gave me 38 cookies. 23 minutes gave the best color. We like our cookies a bit sweeter so I whirled 1 Tbsp granulated sugar with 1/4 tsp lavender for sprinkling on top when they came out of the oven. I didn’t even use half of it. Thanks for the recipe!