Photo by Rhoda Peacher |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening or unsalted margarine, salted
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 T. fresh lemon juice or ¼ tsp. lemon extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 T. dried lavender flowers
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening or margarine, sugar and vanilla. Add lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Add flour and mix until dough is smooth. Dough should be soft but not sticky. If it feels sticky, add up to 1/4 cup flour. Chill 2 hours until firm.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Re-roll remaining dough and cut out shapes. Bake at 325 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely on rack. Ice with Lavender Icing or decorate if you wish.
Makes 18 to 24 cookies.
(To make these cookies, the author of “Lusciously Lavender” (May/June 2010 Hobby Farm Home) used buds from a lavender bundle she bought at a local gift shop. The tag on this product, from Purple Haze Lavender Farm, read “Dried Certified Organic Royal Velvet Lavender Bundle” and stated that Royal Velvet is an English cultivar. “These bundles are wonderful for small arrangements and this is also a great lavender to cook with!”
Instead of using cookie cutters, the author pressed the dough into an oiled shortbread mold. She baked this large cookie twice as long as the directions stipulate, because the dough in the mold was thicker than rolled cookie dough would be. She found the result to be delicious even without icing.)
Recipe courtesy Suzanne Smith.
Get more lavender recipes!
