Delicately flavored with dried lavender and vanilla bean, these lavender shortbread cookies are an easy yet elegant cookie for dessert or for tea time.
Vanilla Lavender Shortbread Cookies
I adore shortbread. There’s just something about the straightforward simplicity of shortbread cookies that I find immensely satisfying.
The trick to shortbread, of course, is to make sure that your ingredients are top notch. With only flour, sugar, butter, salt, and flavoring, the flavor profile of shortbread relies heavily upon its basic components.
I’m working with some very good quality stuff today. Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached All Purpose White Flour is freshly milled from organic hard red wheat with no additives.
It’s versatile and suitable for all types of baking, from bread to cookies to pastry. You can get a coupon here!
Also coming into play is a bag of edible lavender that I’ve been dreaming about using for ages. I was at a specialty spice store when I first spotted this intriguing ingredient. At the time I purchased it, I wasn’t precisely sure what I would use it for, but I knew I’d find a purpose for it eventually.
It was during one of my many daydreams of cookies that I decided to use it to make shortbread.
These vanilla lavender shortbread cookies are the perfect cookie for the holidays. You can make them quickly and easily, and they store quite well. Serve them at your own holiday party, or pack them up as gifts to take along.
They look and taste fancy, but only you will know how simple they were to whip up. Using a good flour like Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour will help ensure success. While you’re shopping for ingredients, you can also check out their Organic Almond Meal and Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Tips for Making Vanilla Lavender Shortbread Cookies
- Choose the best quality flour, butter, and cane sugar. I like to use sea salt in these vanilla lavender shortbread cookies.
- Cookie scoops are one of my favorite kitchen tools. They come in different sizes (small, medium, large) and are useful for cookie dough scooping and ice cream, too. I use a small cookie dough scoop for this recipe.
- Make sure you buy edible lavender, also known as culinary lavender. The kind that is sold as a potpourri or air freshener may have chemicals added, so make sure you buy your lavender from a spice store or a health food store, and check the label to make sure it’s for cooking purposes.
- I like to use vanilla bean paste in this recipe (it has a unique flavor and makes pretty speckles in the cookies), but if you don’t have any (or don’t want to buy any), you can substitute an equal amount of pure vanilla extract.
Also try my gluten free shortbread recipe!
Vanilla Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon edible dried lavender flowers
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 1/8 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour (equal to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Grind the dried lavender to powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Whisk the powdered lavender, vanilla bean paste, and sea salt into the sugar until well combined.
-
Add the butter and beat into the sugar until combined. Add the flour and stir until the dough comes together, pressing it with your hands to form a large ball of cookie dough.
-
Using a small cookie dough scoop or tablespoon, scoop up balls of dough, roll into a smooth ball, then place on the baking sheet and gently flatten with fingertips until about 1/2 inch thick.
-
Prick each cookie with a fork in a decorative pattern. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, or until golden around the bottom edges. Cool completely before storing.
Get your Bob’s Red Mill coupon here for all your holiday baking needs!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Mimi Green
I’m sipping some hot Honey Vanilla Chamomile tea right now. These Vanilla Lavender shortbread cookies would be perfect with it. Oh my gosh! I’ve never heard of this type of cookie ever but I must try it. I’m also a die hard Vanilla Bean ice cream lover. All of my dreams have been rolled into one cookie.
Jacqui @FlightsFancyMom
These sound delicious! I would never have thought to put lavender in a cookie. Heck, who am I kidding, I didn’t know there was such a thing as edible lavender, lol. Thanks for sharing!
Jeanette
I have never heard of putting lavender in cookies, but I bet it’s amazing! I’m gonna have to go get some lavender and try making these.
Sarah Bailey
I have tried lavender in chocolate but never in shortbread – I bet it is absolutely delicious though. I shall have to try and bake them myself. x
lisa
These cookies sound really neat and different. I love shortbread cookies but never thought to use edible lavender for flavor.
Jenn @ EngineerMommy
I love the scent of lavender but I never cooked with it. I would really love to try this recipe. It sounds delicious.
jennifer
ive never baked or cooked with lavendar, but ive always wanted too. these are such pretty little cookies, and your photography is amazing!
Pam
These sound so good. I love lavender and vanilla as a flavor combination. It’s so delicate and just the right amount of sweetness.
victoria
Sounds like a good cookies for me, so creative and I bet my hubby love this too
Ali Cummins
I have a friend who is absolutely obsessed with lavender flavor right now. I’m excited to make these for her!
Nikka Shae
I’m so loving this recipe! We love sweets in our house and I will be making this recipe.
Dee
I never knew that there were edible lavender out there. I think this is really cool, I can imagine how awesome it smells when baking. I am going to have to try it out.
Jenny
Lavendar is something new to me in baking, but im gonna give these a try. Thanks for the recipe.
Christina Aliperti
These look and sound amazing! I bet the lavender and vanilla are lovely together.
ricci
I love a good shortbread cookie and these lavender vanilla ones sound yummy!! I may need to make these!!