Buttery lavender shortbread cookies with a light glaze are the perfect springtime treat for showers, brunch, Easter, Mother's Day, or just because. With only 6 ingredients, they are so easy to make and even easier to devour! (nut-free)
I can't resist a good shortbread cookie. Don't get me wrong, I will never turn down a warm chocolate chip cookie, but shortbread is a close second for me.
I'm a little obsessed with lavender and tend to add it to anything and everything. For a fun spring and summertime flavor variation, I added a hint of floral lavender to classic shortbread cookies. And oh my goodness, they are to die for. If you're a lavender lover like me, trust me when I say, YOU NEED THESE LAVENDER SHORTBREAD COOKIES.
Why You'll Love These Lavender Shortbread Cookies
These shortbread cookies are so simple to make, yet so good. They're not too sweet, with the perfect balance of buttery richness with a light lavender flavor. The texture is perfectly tender with the signature crispy edges of a good shortbread cookie. A simple lavender glaze is the perfect touch to make these cookies downright delightful!
While lavender extract may be sufficient for lavender flavor, I like to make an easy lavender-infused sugar to really enhance the lavender flavor (in a light, totally non-soapy way). It's optional, but will really give you the best flavor!
The Ingredients
- Sugar
- Dried lavender buds - To make lavender-infused sugar
- Butter
- Flour - I use unbleached all purpose flour here.
- Salt - You can omit the salt if you're using salted butter
- Lavender extract
- Powdered sugar - for the glaze
How To Make Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Make The Lavender Sugar
You'll need to make it a day before you plan to make the cookies (or way before is fine too!).
- Mix the sugar and lavender buds in a jar. Shake to distribute the lavender and release the natural oils.
- Let the sugar rest for 24 hours. Strain the lavender out with a fine mesh strainer. Store lavender sugar in an airtight container.
Make The Cookies
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and lavender sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the lavender extract and mix to combine.
- Add the flour and salt and mix again until a dough forms. It may be ever so slightly crumbly.
- Place the dough on a piece of parchment or plastic wrap and roll into a 1-inch-diameter log. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.
- Unwrap the chilled dough and slice into ¼- to ½-inch thick slices.
- Place slices of dough 1 inch apart on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for about 12 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool completely before glazing them.
Make The Glaze
- In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar and lavender extract.
- Add the water one tablespoon at a time, stirring, until you get a nice glazing consistency - not too runny, but drizzle-able. If you accidentally add too much water, add a bit more powdered sugar. Stir until smooth.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies and allow to dry before storing the cookies.
Tips and Recipe Variations
- The trick to getting these lavender shortbread cookies to bake in a perfectly round shape that doesn't spread too much is to chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm. Then you can slice and bake!
- Dried lavender and lavender extract can usually be found at specialty food or baking stores, or you can always find them on Amazon.
- If you don't have lavender extract, double up on the amount of lavender buds in the sugar.
- You can make the dough in a food processor instead of a stand mixer if you'd like.
- If you'd like to add a hint of lemon for lemon lavender shortbread cookies, add about a teaspoon of lemon zest to the dough with the flour and swap a little bit of the water in the glaze for lemon juice.
Can They Be Made In Advance?
The beauty of shortbread dough is that it can be made well in advance! Wrap the log of dough tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer or up to 3 months. If frozen, that the dough in the refrigerator before slicing and baking. The lavender sugar can also be made way in advance, and will keep in your pantry in an airtight container for months.
Shortbread cookies will keep well for at least a week in an airtight container.
Lavender Obsessed? Try These Other Lavender Recipes!
- Easy Lavender Lemon Bars
- Honey Lavender Peach Ice Cream
- Iced Lavender Cold Brew Latte
- Lavender French 75
- Blueberry Lavender Sangria
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintLavender Shortbread Cookies
Buttery lavender shortbread cookies with a light glaze are the perfect springtime treat for showers, brunch, Easter, Mother's Day, or just because. With only 6 ingredients, they are so easy to make and even easier to devour! (nut-free)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Inactive Time: 25 hours
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 25 hours 27 minutes
- Yield: about 15 cookies 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup lavender sugar - see below (or regular sugar)
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp sea salt (omit if using salted butter)
- ¼ tsp lavender extract
For the glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ⅛ tsp lavender extract
- 1-3 tablespoon water, added one tablespoon at a time
For lavender sugar:
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp food grade dried lavender buds
Instructions
- Make the lavender infused sugar. In a jar or other container with a lid, combine ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon dried food grade lavender to a jar. Close the lid and shake to release the oils. Let rest for 24 hours to infuse. Before using, strain out the lavender using a fine mesh strainer.
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter and lavender sugar. Add lavender extract and mix well. Add flour and salt and mix until well blended.
- Place dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment and roll into a log about 1 inch in diameter.
- Refrigerate dough until firm, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Remove dough from refrigerator and slice into ½ inch thick circles. Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before glazing.
- To make the glaze, stir together powdered sugar and lavender extract. Slowly add water, one tablespoon at a time until it reaches glazing consistency. Lightly drizzle over cooled cookies and let dry before storing.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- The lavender sugar is optional, but will give the cookies a more pronounced lavender flavor.
- The dough can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap it tightly!
- To make lemon lavender shortbread cookies, add 1 teaspoon lemon zest to the dough with the flour, and add switch 1 tablespoon of water in the glaze for lemon juice.
Keywords: lavender shortbread cookies, shortbread cookies with lavender
This post was originally published May 2016 and has been updated.
Jenna says
I am very excited to try these cookies! Can you make the dough ahead of time?
Kaleigh says
Yes! You can leave it in the refrigerator for a few days.
Eliza says
Asking a question: These were lovely cookies. I think I melted them when they were baked. Advice on how to avoid this? I’m in a high altitude area for reference.
-a novice baker
Kaleigh says
I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. Probably just make sure the dough is nice and cold before baking.
Lisa says
Someone mentioned using lavender buds (I assume dried lavender). I did not see that ingredient in the recipe, though I have these and no extract. Is it possible to use these bids as a substitute and is it 1:1?
Kaleigh says
Hi Lisa,
I infuse the sugar with lavender buds in this recipe. Use 1 tbsp per 1/4 cup and let the sugar sit overnight, then strain out. Or as another reader did, you can blend them in the blender or food processor and strain out the large pieces.
Kate Petereit says
Thanks, Kaleigh, for this recipe. My daughter shared some of her lavender shortbread cookies from a pastry shop a few weeks ago and I loved them. I almost ate the whole bag. I felt a little guilty that I had eaten nearly all of her cookies so I went online to see if I could find a recipe to make some for her. I was delighted to find your recipe and your recipe is even better than the one from the pastry shop. Now I am obsessed with them! They are just the perfect cookie with the right combination of butter and sugar that isn't too sweet, but is sweet enough and they have that glorious smell of lavender that I love in bouquets and sachets. Thanks for giving me another use for my lavender blooms. I made a few of my own changes to the recipe. I added the lavender flowers to the sugar and mixed it up in the vitamix and then sifted out the big pieces. I was anxious to try those cookies and didn't want to wait 24 hours. It seemed to work pretty well, but I will have to give the way you do it a go. I also used the salted butter and just left out the salt as you suggested and it turned out well. Now I'm wondering if their are other herbs and flowers that might be good in shortbread cookies. Do you have other suggestions? Thanks again.
★★★★★
Kaleigh says
Such a kind compliment! I'm so glad you loved them. I think rosemary with lemon would be delicious!
Kate Petereit says
I will try that. Thanks.
jan M Lowe says
These are very delicious most importantly it's an easy recipe I don't have a scale. I don't know how to do the grams for an old school old lady... I love the recipe very delicious! Wish I couldn't close a picture they're very pretty also!
★★★★★
Kaleigh says
Thanks for your review, Jan!
W. says
An eleven!! Perfection.
★★★★★
Victoria says
Hi..your recipe 1x, 2x 3x doesnt say how many cookies the recipe yields. Thank you..I need to know today.
Suzanne says
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
LC says
I made these tonight and they are delicious! Very light and not too sweet! I did make a couple changes- I used Stevia instead of real sugar, whole wheat flour instead of white, and only the dried lavender (not the extract). Also, I did not make the glaze. Thank you for this recipe!
Kaleigh says
So glad you liked them and that they worked out with your substitutions!
Eileen deCamp says
Hi Kaleigh,
I made these the other day and they were delicious!
Eileen
Kaleigh says
I'm so glad you liked them!
Kathy says
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.
Kaleigh says
Thanks so much Kathy, that makes my day!
susan bird says
Where would you purchase lavender extract? I bought lavender dried to make the cookies
Kaleigh says
Hi Susan! I bought it at Sur la Table, but you can get it on Amazon at this link.
Lisa Pyron says
Hi Kaleigh,
I am having trouble finding the lavender extract. Would you please provide a link/s to where to find it?
Thanks.
Kaleigh says
Hi Lisa, here is an Amazon link for it!
Tami says
These are delicious! The recipe doesn’t make a lot, so next time I will double it. I made it with the lemon, and the lemon glaze. I also added the lavender petals. Delicious!!
★★★★★
Marge says
Amazon has it
Kaleigh M says
Thank you, Amber! It was on my to-do list for a long time too. Now I can't get enough! 🙂
Amber @ Homemade Nutrition says
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!
Kaleigh says
Thank you, Amber! I love using it in food! 🙂
nutritioulicious says
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!
Kaleigh M says
Thanks, Jessica! I'm glad it's up again too! 🙂