the details
Oh, Lavender Sugar Shortbread Cookies. Here’s an awesome cookie that really just highlights the delicate and deliciously floral flavor of lavender. These cookies involve a lavender sugar that comes together so easily. Basically, we just pulse dried culinary lavender with sugar in a food processor or blender, cover, and allow those lavender oils to really steep into the sugar for developed lavender flavor. Throw that together with flour, butter, salt, and vanilla, and you’ve got yourself an amazing shortbread cookie!
the process
Along with my Birthday Sprinkle Shortbread Cookies, these were inspired in part by Alison Roman’s shortbread cookies, which involve shaping the dough into a log, slicing, and rolling in Demerara sugar to get that crunchy, sugary crust on the edges. Here, I infused Demerara sugar with lavender for even more lavender flavor. Demerara sugar is a minimally processed, coarse sugar which can be found in gourmet grocery stores or online. Regular sugar can be subbed, but won’t be quite the same.
As for lavender, this recipe calls for culinary-grade dried lavender, which can be found at some specialty grocery stores or on good ol’ Amazon. If you’re into baking with lavender like I am, you’ll want to make some extra lavender sugar to use in my Lemon + Lavender Poppyseed Loaf Cake.
A few technical notes:
- Make sure you’re creaming the butter, sugar, and vanilla together until fully combined. The product will be fluffy and lightened in color. For more info on creaming butter and sugar, see my Tips + Tricks page!
- Use the plastic wrap/cling wrap to shape your log! Twisting at ends and rolling the covered dough against your countertop will help get a rounded log shape.
- If your dough cracks or breaks while slicing, no problem! Simply piece the shards back together on your baking sheet. They should meld back together as they bake in the oven.
- Make your lavender sugar the day before for best flavor! Then the lavender oils really diffuse into the sugar. Store lavender sugar in an air-tight container at room temp.
Bake to this music
Lavender Sugar Shortbread Cookies
Lavender shortbread cookies are crunchy, buttery, fragrant, and no-fuss to make. Impress everyone with your fanciness!
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
Ingredients
For the shortbread:
- 1/2 cup salted butter, cold
- 1/2 tsp culinary lavender
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
For the lavender sugar crust:
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1/4 cup Demerara sugar
- 1/4 tsp culinary lavender
- 1/4 tsp violet food gel (optional)
Instructions
- Make your two lavender sugars. In a food processor or blender, add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp culinary lavender. Pulse until lavender is broken up and the sugar is very fragrant. Store in an airtight container at room temp. Now add the 1/4 Demerara sugar and 1/4 tsp culinary lavender to the food processer and pulse until similarly diffused. With a spatula, add a small amount of violet food coloring gel if desired. Store this Demerara lavender sugar in an airtight container at room temp. Keep these two lavender sugars separate. One will be used in the cookie dough, the other as the sugar crust on the cookies. It’s best to let the lavender sugars sit and ruminate overnight for flavor, but if in a rush you can use them immediately.
- Make the shortbread cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cold butter, lavender sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed for 5ish minutes until smooth and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour. Stop mixing once combined. The mixture will be crumbly looking.
- Using a spatula, fold the dough until it comes together and looks more cohesive.
- Turn out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and roll it up in the plastic wrap. Using the countertop, shape your covered dough into a rounded log about 6 inches long and a few inches thick. Once shaped to your liking, stick the covered/sealed log into the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours or up to 36 hours.
- Once dough is chilled and hard, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prep a baking sheet with parchment or silpat.
- Whisk an egg in a small bowl. Unwrap the log from the plastic wrap and brush egg wash generously over one side of the log. Roll this side of the log in your Demerara lavender sugar. Turn the log over, egg wash the other side, and roll this in the Demerara sugar as well. Put the sugar-covered log on a cutting board and using a serrated knife, slice the log into cookies about 1/2 inch thick. Place cookie slices on the baking sheet.
- Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until they are just beginning to brown and look set. Allow to cool on a wire rack and serve at room temp. Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temp for up to 1 week.