Tea is always better with a little treat, (although I am more of a coffee drinker myself, but that’s another story). Last weekend, between the showers, I took it upon myself to tackle the mountain of weeds that seem to have appeared in my garden, in a few short days. We planted a border a few years back with just lavender and buxus. It’s so simple and pleasing to look at…and the aroma is incredibly intoxicating when the flowers are in full bloom. As I tended to the bed, it struck me that I really should utilise some of the lavender in my kitchen. So, a simple start, Lavender and Lemon Shortbread Biscuits…
As far as difficulty is concerned, these biscuits can be a bit fiddly. The mixture is very short (which means crumbly) so it is quite difficult to work with. I suggest rolling the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. This makes the whole process so much easier (and less messy). The result is honestly beautifully light and very addictive.
The aromatic flavour of lavender pairs beautifully with light and bright flavours, such as lemon, honey, summer berries, thyme and mint. It is lovely in ice creams, and in some savoury dishes (by way of a dry rub). However too much lavender can quickly make your dish or dessert taste soapy. A little goes a long way when it is dried, less so, when it’s fresh.
I’d love to know what you think of these melt-in-the-mouth biscuits, as far as I can see, you can add all manner of flavours to suit your taste. It is definitely worth experimenting!
Lavender and Lemon Shortbread Biscuits
Equipment
- 6cm cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 90 g caster sugar
- 180 g white spelt flour or plain flour
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- ½ zest lemon
- 2 tsp fresh lavender or 1 ½ dried
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 170°C fan. Place the flour, salt, butter and sugar in the bowl of a food processor; process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the lemon zest, lavender and egg yolk; pulse until it’s just combined. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and form into flat square; place in a freezer bag and transfer to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on the work surface. Place half of the chilled dough on the paper; top with another sheet of paper. Roll out the dough between the sheets until it is approximately 3mm-thick. Using a round fluted cookie cutter, cut out the dough and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Roll out the scraps, and repeat. Repeat process with the remaining dough.
- Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. or until they’re pale golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Dust with caster or icing sugar and add a few lavender petals, if desired.
For a delicious savoury appetiser you could try these Irresistible Pistachio & Parmesan Sable the French version of shortbread.
Berry Meringue Ice cream Cake
These shortbread biscuits are heavenly yummy! Very easy to make and kind of biscuits hard to resist. I love it with my cup of coffee, delicious!
I’m so glad you liked them Julia. The lemon and lavender work so well together don’t you think? :-))
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
I’m so pleased your family enjoyed them Ashok.
These were a big hit!! We really enjoyed them and the lavender gave a delicious twist. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Great to hear Joanna, the hint of lavender in the shortbread was a hit here too.