French Lavender Shortbread Cookies

These French lavender shortbread cookies are crisp, buttery cookies that have a delicious hint of floral flavor. They are the perfect cookie to serve at tea-time in the spring and summer.

The bees have all but taken over our lavender. Who could blame them? Their bright purple blossoms fill the air with a sweet scent. The beauty of their buds is striking against the lush green foliage. Still, I brave the buzzing around my head to chop several stems so that I can hang those lovely bundles to dry in the kitchen and make these very special French lavender shortbread cookies.

They are the perfect tea time or coffee cookie and fun to make this time of year. Especially if you have lavender to harvest.

And on that note, if you find yourself with extra lavender. Check out this How to Make a Lavender Wreath to make a beautiful wreath for spring or summer. One of my personal favorites. aside from these cookies, is Lavender Oil which has many uses including culinary.

This lavender cookie recipe is a little different as it uses French lavender not English. Although you can use English lavender to make them. Although completely edible, French lavender is not a typical culinary lavender as the buds are powerfully scented however, it works perfectly in this shortbread recipe.

The course sugar creates a crispy crumbly texture for these lavender cookies and butter base keep them tender. There are different ways to serve these but the best way is with a bold rich coffee or pot of earl grey tea. 

French Lavender Shortbread Cookies Are…

• Made with dried lavender flowers for a subtle lavender flavor.
• Hands down the best lavender shortbread recipe.
• A buttery cookie with floral notes.
• Unique cookies that pair well with a cup of tea or bold cup of coffee.
• Filled with the best flavor and need only a handful of ingredients to make them.
• Tender cookies and my favorite thing to make with my own lavender that I grow year round.

Ingredients

Lavender- For this recipe you can use either French lavender or an English variety. Either way, the lavender adds a lovely floral note to these cookies. If using fresh lavender, you will want to dry it beforehand. 

Butter- Use salted real butter if you can. If you only have unsalted on hand be sure to add a 1/2 tsp of sea salt (pinch of salt) to the dough.

Flour- I suggest using all-purpose flour. For this recipe I use unbleached organic all-purpose flour but standard all-purpose will work just fine.

Sugar- These cookies call for white sugar. I like to use pure cane unrefined sugar but regular refined white sugar works well and creates a nice crispness to the cookies just the same.

Vanilla- Use pure vanilla extract. On that note here is a simple tutorial for making homemade vanilla extract right at home.

Tools

Mixer (optional)

Baking Sheet

Directions

Begin by crushing the lavender either with a mortar and pestle, or by adding the lavender to a Ziplock bag, and using a rolling pin to crush it. Get the lavender as fine as you can so that it evenly distributes into the cookie dough.

In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and ground lavender. Add the flour and mix until the dough comes together. It will look crumbly at first. If mixing by hand, you may need to press the dough together to form a ball.

 Roll out onto a piece of parchment paper or place dough onto a lightly floured surface to roll out. 

Cut into shapes and lay the cookies onto a prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the fridge for 1 hour before baking.

Bake cookies at 350℉ for about 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Allow the shortbread cookies to cool on a wire rack. 

Baking Notes

• Be sure to chill the cut cookies for an hour before baking them.
• If you use unsalted butter be sure to add 1/2 tsp of sea salt.
• You can substitute English lavender for French. If you find the lavender overwhelming, reduce the amount used in the recipe.
• For easy clean up use parchment paper on the baking sheets
• The dough can be placed in a freezer bag and frozen to save for later
• If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can use a Ziplock bag and a rolling pin to further smash the lavender down.

French Lavender Vs. English Lavender

Not all lavender is created equal. Some are better for soap making rather than for eating and vice versa. Culinarily speaking, most lavender recipes out there will call for English lavender varieties as these are considered the best to use for cooking and baking. And on that, certainly these cookies can be made using them.

However, what is unique about French Lavender is not just in appearance although its feathery stalks and eye-catching purple buds are hard to beat. French lavender is not only edible but incredibly fragrant and great for use in soaps, sachets, oils, and these delicious French Lavender Shortbread Cookies to boot. Making it one of the most versatile lavenders you can grow, in my humble opinion. It took me years to try it in my kitchen because there is so much conflicting information out there about cooking or baking with it that I didn’t try it for years.

Turns out you can’t believe everything you read on the internet, who knew? I am here to tell you that you surely can use it in your kitchen with great results.

The main thing to keep in mind for baking or cooking with French lavender, over its counterpart is that it can easily overpower whatever you put it in. Causing the dish to be soapier flavored rather than floral. So it is a good idea to go lightly when mixing up your recipes. These cookies call for 2 tsp of dried French lavender, which gives it a subtle hint. Which you can always increase or decrease as you like.

How To Dry Lavender

If you have fresh lavender you will need to dry it first before baking with it. To dry, you can bundle the lavender with twine and hang it for several days until the buds begin to dry up. To dry faster, you can place the lavender heads into a dehydrator or on a cookie sheet to dry in the oven on low. This will take several hours but is much quicker than hanging the lavender to dry. 

Our Lavender Harvest

How To Store

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also set them on a plate with plastic wrap over. The cookies will last about 7 days. For longer storage consider freezing the dough. To freeze, wrap the dough tightly in parchment paper. Place the wrapped dough into a freezer bag. The dough will last up to 3 months stored properly in the freezer.

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Baking Sheet

Dried Culinary Lavender

Stand Mixer

Unbleached Parchment Paper

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