OK, I admit I am a baking show fanatic, but I learn so much. I saw a show where the contestant used culinary lavender and lemons in her recipe. WOW, a new ingredient for me to experiment with and try to master.
Lavender is tricky. Too much, and it will taste like soap; and too little, and you will miss it altogether. There are some do's and don'ts with lavender, like picking the best variety for baking. Here is a website that is all about culinary lavender call Sage Creations Farm.
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Ingredients
- Butter unsalted
- Sugar white
- Honey
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Eggs
- Culinary lavender
- Mascarpone
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
- Powdered sugar
Picking Lavender for Baking
I found a website on Bon Appetit that gives some helpful tips about baking with lavender. The first time I considered using lavender in a cookie, I purchased the wrong kind after reading more about lavender. The culinary lavender is the type you want to look for before purchasing online. The one I used for this cookie I purchased from The Spice House called Ultra-Blue Premium Lavender Flower Buds.
The good thing about lavender is that you can adjust the amount for your taste. One tablespoon is a light, middle-of-the-road amount. You can use more or less if you are familiar with the taste of lavender. Please let me know how you like the taste!
Making Lemon and Lavender Cookies
As always, I prep all my ingredients before I start. It makes it so easy, and I remember everything.
Prepping Ingredients
I start by preparing the dry ingredients. I weigh or measure the sugar into a bowl and set it aside. In another bowl, I weigh or measure the flour. I add the baking powder and salt to the flour. I use a whisk to blend them and then set that bowl aside.
The lavender comes in buds, so I like to crush them into smaller pieces. You can chop them with a knife, spice grinder, or mortar and pestle. I use a mortar and pestle,
The easiest way to use a mortar and pestle is to grind the lavender buds by pushing them up the sides of the bowl, which is rough along the sides for this purpose. You will smell the lavender as you grind the buds. I like having different sizes of lavender.
If your lemons have knobs on the ends, I cut them off. It makes it easier to zest the lemons. Then just cut them in half and juice them. I have a cheap juicer that I purchased at my grocery store.
Mixing and Chill the Cookie Dough
Now is the time to put the ingredients together.
I like to cube the butter to see how soft it is. There should be little resistance. This will determine how long it takes to cream the butter.
If the butter is still cold, start the mixer at the lowest speed and gradually work up to a medium speed. You want the butter to be creamy-looking. A trick I have learned is to wrap your hands around the bottom of the mixer bowl if the butter is cold; this will help to warm up the butter.
Now, add the sugar and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Because of the sugar-to-butter ratio, it will not get to a creamy state.
Now add the lemon zest and juice along with the honey. Mix until blended.
Next, break an egg into a small bowl. This way, you can tell if there are any egg shells you need to get out before adding it to the cookie dough. Mix and then repeat with the other egg. Time to add the mascarpone and blend it into the cookie dough
Scrape down the sides and mix the cookie dough. The mascarpone will make the cookie dough look like small pieces throughout the dough, but that is OK it will all come together. Now, add the lavender and blend it through. Take the bowl off the stand.
I was once told that mascarpone needs a gentle touch when adding the flour. So, I mix the dry ingredients into the wet cookie dough with a strong one-piece spatula. I add half, blend that through, and then add the other half. Don't forget to scrape along the bottom of the bowl to get all the flour.
You end up with a smooth cookie dough. Mascarpone also needs more time to chill than cream cheese. I wrap the top lightly with plastic wrap and chill it for 2 hours. While it is chilling, I like to run some errands.
Baking and Cooling the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
Using a medium cookie scooper, add 12 cookie scoop mounds onto one of the sheet pans. Bake for 11-13 minutes.
Once the cookies are out of the oven, I let them sit on the pan for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack. After they have completely cooled, I dust them lightly withpowdered sugar.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
First, buy your lavender from a trustworthy store or online. Some online stores say lavender can be used in cooking, but it may not be good for pastries or sweet desserts. I purchased mine for The Spice House.
Yes, I say to chill the dough for at least 2 hours, but you can leave it in the refrigerator overnight, which will also infuse the cookie dough with a little more of the lavender taste.
Other Lemon Cookies
Recipe
Lemon with Lavender and Honey Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) Sugar white
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Honey
- 3 Tablespoon (3 Tablespoon) Lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Lemon zest
- 2 (2) Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Culinary lavender
- 8 oz (8 oz) Mascarpone
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- ¼ cup (30 g) Powdered sugar Sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Zest the lemons into a bowl. In another bowl or a juicer with a container, juice the lemons. Set these aside. Weigh or measure the sugar into a small bowl and set that aside. Weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl, running a whisk through to blend. You can chop the lavender into smaller pieces, leave them as they are, use an herb grinder, or use a mortar and pestle; the choice is up to you. I used the mortar and pestle to make most of the lavender buds smaller.
- Cream the butter before adding the sugar to your mixer bowl, and blend on medium speed for at least 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest, and honey, mixing until incorporated. Crack one of the eggs into a small bowl to ensure no eggshells, then add it to the mixer bowl. Incorporate into the cookie dough before repeating the process with the next egg. Scrape down the sides and across the bottom. Add the lavender and then the Mascarpone, blending it into the cookie dough for a minute or two.
- Take the bowl off the stand and fold in half the flour mixture. Incorporate the first half of the flour, then add the other half. You want a gentle touch when folding in the flour. Once all the flour is mixed thoroughly, loosely cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for 2 hours. When working with Mascarpone, I find the cookie batter smoother when I fold the flour into the wet mixture using a good one-piece spatula.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C), and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. I use a medium cookie scoop to add 12 mounds to a sheet pan. I bake one pan at a time for 11-13 minutes. After pulling the cookie pan from the oven, I leave the cookies on the pan for about 1 minute before moving them to a cooling rack. After they cooled, I lightly sprinkled powdered sugar to finish them.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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