Soft and buttery lavender shortbread cookies with a light glaze are the perfect spring time treat! With only 6 ingredients, they are so easy to make.
You may have noticed that me and my site have been MIA for the last week or so. Please forgive me for the irregular posts and the non-existence of Lively Table. I was unhappy with my hosting site already, but when the servers decided to stop working over Cinco de Mayo, it was the last straw. So I went ahead and made the switch to a new hosting site and I am already very happy. Hopefully things will be running smoothly from now on. Ok, now on to the cookies.
I can’t resist a good shortbread cookie. Don’t get me wrong, I will never turn down a warm chocolate chip cookie, but for a change of pace, shortbread is always my go-to. When Girl Scout Cookie season rolls around, everyone goes crazy for Thin Mints, but I always order a box or two of humble shortbread cookies for myself.
Of course nothing can compare to a delicious, buttery homemade shortbread cookie. They are so simple, but I think that’s what makes them so good. Sometimes I want my cookies a little less sweet, and these lavender shortbread cookies have just a hint of sugar for the perfect kiss of sweetness. Then you can drizzle with as little or as much of the lavender glaze to control how sweet you want them!
These lavender shortbread cookies are the perfect spring or summertime dessert. Lavender will always remind me of a winery in Fredericksburg that we visited for my bachelorette party. It was a gorgeous day in April, and the winery had a large lavender field behind it. I adore the smell of lavender, so I ended up buying more lavender scented soap and candles and sheet spray than I did wine! It’s still one of my favorite wineries (the wine is excellent, too)!
So when I wanted to make a lightly flavored shortbread that was perfect for a springtime treat, I knew lavender would be perfect. It adds such a nice floral note to soft and buttery shortbread, and makes them hard to resist! You might even have to double the batch.
Luckily, Lavender Shortbread cookies are super simple to make! They’ve only got a few simple ingredients (including a yummy infused lavender sugar) that you just mix together, roll up, slice and bake! Then whip up the glaze and spoon it over the top for an easy, irresistible treat!
Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Soft and buttery lavender shortbread cookies with a light glaze are the perfect spring time treat!
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: about 18 cookies
- Category: dessert
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup lavender sugar (or regular sugar)
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 1 tsp dried Lavender (food-grade)
- 1/4 tsp lavender extract
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp lavender extract
- 2-4 tbsp water, add one at a time
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add flour, salt, lavender, and extract.
- Place dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log (about 1-inch in diameter).
- Refrigerate dough for 30 min.
- Preheat oven to 300° F. Remove dough from refrigerator and slice into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick circles. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before removing to a cooling rack.
- To make the glaze, stir powdered sugar and lavender extract. Slowly add water, one tbsp at a time until it reaches glazing consistency. Lightly drizzle over cooled cookies and let harden before storing.
- Store in an airtight container.
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Yay, you’re back! So glad the site is up and running! Would have been a shame to keep holding out on us with these beautiful cookies!
Thanks, Jessica! I’m glad it’s up again too! 🙂
These cookies are gorgeous! I love shortbread cookies and can’t wait to try this version, I’ve never cooked with lavender before but it’s been on my “to-do” list for a while! Thanks for the recipe and awesome pics!
Thank you, Amber! I love using it in food! 🙂
Thank you, Amber! It was on my to-do list for a long time too. Now I can’t get enough! 🙂
Where would you purchase lavender extract? I bought lavender dried to make the cookies
Hi Susan! I bought it at Sur la Table, but you can get it on Amazon at this link.
I know this is a long time after your original posting of this recipe, but I wanted to say how much I liked it. I was afraid it would be too lavendery, with lavender sugar, lavender buds AND lavender extract, but they were perfect. I like a less sweet shortbread, so next time I will use less sugar. And for the same reason, skip the glaze — it is sugar overload for me. It was fun to make the lavender sugar, which I will have on hand for future lavender adventures. I just made these for a meeting, and found a single sprig of blooming lavender in my greenhouse, which I laid on top of the tray. Mmmmmmmm.
Thanks so much Kathy, that makes my day!