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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

Units Scale

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Using a spatula, fold the dough until it comes together and looks more cohesive.
  4. 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.
  5. Once dough is chilled and hard, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prep a baking sheet with parchment or silpat.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  • Author: Caroline Crockett