Lavender-Lemon Shortbread cookies

Happy Fri-Yay! This week has been a blissful autumn week. It's finally cooled down here, and really starting to feel like Fall. On Wednesday it rained and was cloudy all day, I think the high was 77F, and I was freezing, but it was much needed and felt so refreshing.

There is nothing I enjoy more than sitting on the porch, watching the rain, sipping a hot cup of tea, with something sweet to savor!

One herb I have never cooked with let alone bake with, is lavender. I've been tempted a time or two, to buy Lavender Sugar, but keep thinking to myself, I could make my own. Then while one weekend, we were up in Prescott, I bought some lavender buds to try my hand at cooking with them. Should I make Lavender salt, or sugar, oh no, I must make cookies, and what better guinea pig do I have for Lavender cookies than my husband.

He loves a good shortbread! He came home from work, just in time to have the first batch of shortbread that had cooled off. If I didn't stop him, he would have gobbled them all up!

Aren't these cookies lovely? The flavor of these delicate buttery, shortbread cookies is delightful fragrant, that is not only calming from the lavender, but the fresh burst of citrus, really enhances them.

At first, I was planning on glazing them, but after one bite, they were perfectly sweet enough.

Lavender-Lemon Shortbread Cookies (adapted from Food and Wine)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup of  all-purpose flour

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. dried lavender buds (culinary)

the zest from one lemon

Granulated sugar, or you could use coarse sugar or even Raw Sugar

Directions:

1.) In stand up mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the lemon zest, the lavender, the pinch of salt and the vanilla extract. On low speed, add the flour slowly. When the dough forms a soft ball, transfer it to plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

2.) Preheat oven to 350F. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out cookies, and then placing them on parchment paper. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, checking to see the slightest golden brown. 

3.) Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend!

Until next time!

xo Christine

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