Soft and 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 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, and I think that’s exactly what makes them so good. Just a few ingredients, not too sweet, and perfectly tender yet crisp.
I’m a little obsessed with lavender in the spring and tend to add it to anything and everything. For a fun change-up, I added a hint of delicate, 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.
Luckily, lavender shortbread cookies are super simple to make! They’ve only got a few 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!
The trick to getting these lavender shortbread cookies to bake in a perfectly round shape is to chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Not a super long wait, just enough to get the butter to firm up a bit so that once you slice the cookies they hold their shape in the oven. (Also no rolling and re-rolling dough, and no cookie cutters – yay!)
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’d like to add a hint of lemon, 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.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintLavender Shortbread Cookies
Soft and buttery lavender shortbread cookies with a light glaze are the perfect spring time 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: 40 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: about 18 cookies 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
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)
- 1/4 tsp lavender extract
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp lavender extract
- 1–3 tbsp water, added one tbsp at a time
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add lavender extract and mix well. Add flour and salt and mix until well blended.
- 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 350° F. Remove dough from refrigerator and slice into 1/2 inch thick circles. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake for 12-15 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 cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
To make the lavender sugar, add 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tbsp 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.
To make lemon lavender shortbread cookies, add 1 tsp lemon zest to the dough with the flour, and add switch 1 tbsp of water in the glaze for lemon juice.
Keywords: lavender cookies, lavender dessert
This post was originally published May 2016 and has been updated.
An eleven!! Perfection.
★★★★★
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
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!
So glad you liked them and that they worked out with your substitutions!
Hi Kaleigh,
I made these the other day and they were delicious!
Eileen
I’m so glad you liked them!
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!
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.
Thank you, Amber! It was on my to-do list for a long time too. Now I can’t get enough! 🙂
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! 🙂
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! 🙂