Dainty Lavender Cookies

Wake up and smell the flowers! The grass is getting greener. The snow has melted and the warm weather is here to stay. That’s right! Summer is officially here!

Whenever it’s summer, I always think back to my first co-op work term. There was a coffee shop nearby and I would get my all-time favourites, a Matcha latte and Lavender London fog.

I then had an idea of having the taste of a Lavender London fog in the form of a cookie. I knew that a lavender cookie would go great with a hot drink, so I wanted to do a shortbread cookie. After searching through Google, I was surprised to see a bunch of lavender shortbread cookie recipes. I was never good when it came to baking shortbread. My cookies would either be too greasy or it would immediately spread out and lose its shape.

Luckily, I learned some awesome tips to bake shortbread:

• Let the dough chill for 30 minutes before baking it so that it retains its shape.

• Bake it low and slow. Keep the oven at a low heat between 300°F to 310°F (around 150°C) for 25-30 minutes.

• Remember these ratios 2 : 1 : 1/2 = 2 cups flour, 1 cup butter, and 1/2 cup of sugar.

These lavender shortbread cookies are heavenly! The cookies are sweet and buttery then you are welcomed with those gentle, floral lavender notes. It is a great way to jazz up but not overpower a humble shortbread cookie. I heard lemon pairs nicely with lavender too so I would try adding a lemon zest in there next time.

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Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from A Garden for the House

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter - room temperature

• 1 tsp dried lavender buds

• 1/3 cup white sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

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Instructions:

1. Combine the sugar and dried lavender buds into a blender until it almost looks like powdered sugar.

2. In a bowl, combine the lavender sugar, salt, and the softened butter until well combined.

3. Add in the flour and mix well making sure that there aren’t any pockets of flour or lumps of butter.

4. Form the cookie dough into a ball and place it on a plastic wrap.

5. Form it into a log and secure it with a plastic wrap.

6. Let the cookie dough chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.

7. As the dough chills, preheat the oven to 310°F or 150°C.

8. After 30 minutes, take out the chilled cookie dough and cut it into circles.

9. Place the sliced cookie dough on the baking sheet and bake it in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

10. Let the cookies cool on the tray for 3 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack.

11. Brew a nice cup of tea and enjoy these lovely lavender shortbread cookies!