Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies are buttery, zingy and slightly floral. They’re one of my favorite cookies to bake in the spring.
How to Make Good Shortbread Cookies
- Don’t overwork the dough. We want tender, melt in your mouth cookies here, not tough hockey pucks. Once the dough comes together, you’re done. Re-rolling the dough once is okay, but I wouldn’t re-roll multiple times, as it will affect the texture of the cookies.
- Refrigerate the dough. It’s really important to roll out the dough when the butter is cold to maintain the best shape. A warm dough will be a mess to work with.
- Refrigerate again. To get the perfect shape and texture, refrigerate the dough again after you cut out the cookies before you bake them. It makes all the difference. Trust me!
Substitutions for these Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies
I personally really love the combination of lemon and lavender. The lavender is earthy and floral, while the lemon is bright and zippy.
I tried these cookies with both a lemon glaze and a lavender glaze, and I think they both work really well, depending on what you're going for.
Below are some tips on how to use this base recipe to make a few different Shortbread Cookie Variations:
- Try a lemon glaze. In my glaze recipe, substitute regular heavy cream for lavender cream, and use fresh lemon juice instead of milk. Simply whisk everything together in a bowl, and dip away.
- Ditch the lavender. If you prefer, you can skip the lavender all together. Try the lemon glaze as per option #1, and flavor the cookies with lemon zest.
- Simply Vanilla. Get back to basics and forget both the lemon and lavender. Flavor the cookies and the glaze with vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste, and enjoy simplicity at it's best.
- Switch it up. Figure out your own new flavor combo. Orange and Cardamom. Cinnamon and Clove. Saffron and Lemon. The options are endless!
More Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate and Jam
- Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons
- Linzer Cookies with Strawberry Rose Jam
- Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
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Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
Description
The combination of lemon and lavender is what makes these shortbread cookies really good. The acidic lemon really brightens up the floral, earthy lavender.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp kosher salt (slightly less if using fine salt)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ tsp dried lavender flowers, finely chopped
- 1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
Lavender cream:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp dried lavender flowers
Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ –2 ½ tablespoon “lavender cream”
- 1–1 ½ tablespoon whole milk (or milk of choice)
Instructions
- Heat oven & prepare pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together flour and salt in a bowl.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together sugar, lavender and zest. Add butter and work together using a rubber spatula. This can also be done in a standing mixer.
- Mix wet & dry: Add the flour to the butter/sugar mixture in two additions, and mix until just combined.
- Refrigerate: Press dough together in a ball and flatten into a disc. Do not overwork. Cover in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until firm yet pliable. You can also refrigerate up to overnight. If the dough becomes too stiff after refrigeration, set out at room temperature for up to 20-60 minutes, or until the appropriate texture.
- Roll dough: Lightly flour your work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough ¼ inch thick. Cut using a 2 inch round cutter, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the remaining dough and repeat the process. Refrigerate cut-outs for about 10-15 minutes or until firm.
- Bake: Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make lavender cream: While the cookies are baking, bring the cream and lavender to a rapid simmer in a small pot. Cover and remove from heat. Allow to steep for 20-30 minutes, or until cream tastes strongly of lavender. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make the glaze: While the cookies are cooling, strain lavender cream, reserving the lavender flowers for decoration, if desired. In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1 ½ tablespoons of lavender cream and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add more milk or cream, based on your desired level of lavender flavor and thickness of the glaze.
- Decorate: If decorating with reserved lavender, use tweezers to dip the flowers into the glaze and place on the cookies in any pattern as you prefer. Be cautious not to use too much lavender, as it can be bitter and overpowering. Return cookies to the wire rack until the glaze sets up completely. Enjoy.
Notes
Check out my paragraph, “Substitutions for these Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies,” for some alternative flavor options.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 199
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 77mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 9
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
Beautiful cookies, I have a feeling lavender and lemon go really well together, I’ll have to bake a batch for myself!
Thanks, Fida! I hope you enjoy the combination too 🙂
These cookies are amazing!!!
Thank you!
Perfect delicious bites!
Thanks 🙂
I’ve always loved this flavor combination! Your photos are beautiful as always!
Thank you, Julie!!