Lavender Shortbread
Seedswoman Renee Shepherd, owner of Renee’s Garden in Felton, California, created this garden-inspired treat to serve with tea or sherry. She suggests making several batches and tucking them into boxes or tins lined with pastel tissue paper to give as special gifts.
Seedswoman Renee Shepherd, owner of Renee’s Garden in Felton, California, created this garden-inspired treat to serve with tea or sherry. She suggests making several batches and tucking them into boxes or tins lined with pastel tissue paper to give as special gifts.
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons very finely chopped lavender florets, fresh or dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2-1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°. Cover the bottoms of two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, lavender, and mint with an electric mixer about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add flour, cornstarch, and salt, and beat until incorporated. Divide the dough in half. Flatten into squares and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm. On a floured board, roll or pat out each square to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut the dough into 1-1/2-inch squares or rounds. Transfer to baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 1 inch apart. Prick each cookie several times with a fork. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until pale golden (do not brown). Cool slightly, then transfer to a rack. Sprinkle with lavender powdered sugar (recipe follows).
