Aside from fresh bread baking in the oven, one of my favourite scents in the world is lavender, sweet, delicate & floral yet completely unique. I grow several varieties of it in the garden & just adore not just their scent as you walk by on a summers day but also the pop of blue-violet colour & buzz of bees as it brings all of the senses to life. Lavender has long been known for it’s beauty, fragrance & multitude of uses throughout history, with records showing that it has been in use for over 2,500 years. In fact it has quite a long & varied history associated with everything from medicine, mummification, cleaning, bathing, perfume, cooking & even romance.
Lavender gets its name from the Latin word ‘lavare’ meaning ‘to wash’, this derives from the Romans who used Lavender oil to scent publics bathhouses, clothes & soaps. It was the Romans who also discovered its medicinal properties. Whilst the Romans also used lavender oil in their cooking I doubt it was in anything as delicate as these lavender shortbread. These definitely have more a French or English influence, because let’s face it, we both like butter a lot more than the Italians.
These delicate & dainty little shortbread biscuits are elegant yet homely. A crumbly, butter shortbread filled with the delicate perfume & flavour of sweet lavender. When using lavender in the kitchen, if it’s not from your own garden then always be sure to use organic of culinary grade flowers & remember that a little goes a long way, it’s very strong & a little too much can leave food tasting rather soapy. But when used correctly, lavender is such a delightful change, the smell of these baking in the oven really is to die for!
LAVENDER SHORTBREAD
(makes around 25 biscuits)
Ingredients:
- 70g granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh lavender
- 125g butter
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 190g plain flour
Method:
- Begin by removing the buds from the lavender & add these into a pestle & mortar
- Add in 1 tbsp of the sugar & grind together with the lavender until slightly coarse
- Next, in a large bowl soften the butter before adding in the rest of the sugar & cream together
- Add the egg to the bowl & beat to combine
- Add the ground lavender sugar, vanilla & salt to the bowl & mix until fully combined
- Finally, add the flour to the bowl & mix until a dough begins to form & come together
- Use your hands to finish bringing the dough together & shape into a ball
- Cover the ball in some cling film or a beeswax wrap & place in the fridge to chill for an hour
- Once chilled, roll your dough out onto a lightly floured surface to approximately 5mm thick
- Use a 2 inch round cookie butter to cut out 20-25 biscuits, re-rolling any offcuts as necessary
- Place the biscuits onto two baking trays lined with baking parchment & place back in the fridge to chill for a further 20 minutes
- Once chilled, remove from the fridge & bake the lavender shortbread in the oven at 180C for 12-14 minutes until they’re edges start to brown a little & they turn nice & golden in colour
- Remove from the oven & leave to cool on their tray for 5 minutes before removing & placing on a cooling rack until cold
- The biscuits will keep in an airtight container for 5 – 7 days
