Lavender, Orange and Honey Shortbread Cookies
A few weeks ago in my Pinterest feed, I saw some gorgeous shortbread cookies decorated with all kinds of edible flowers. They were colorful, perfectly round and had a sparkly sugar topping. I was smitten.
I wanted to recreate these cookies but didn't know where to buy pansies or other edible flowers. So instead of waiting on Etsy packages or going to five different grocery stores, I opted to grow my own edible flowers. Lavender produces cute little purple flowers and it tastes amazing, so I got to planting.
I transplanted two small lavender plants in late May and it took just about two weeks for them to blossom. My original plan was to decorate the cookies entirely with the lavender blossoms. Although this felt crafty and fun at first, it got super tedious after the first few cookies. So instead of spending hours fiddling with blossoms, I resorted to pressing the entire spikes into the cookies. This method was easier and arguably looked more impressive. Either way, these cookies are delicious and downright pretty.
Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!
Ingredients
10 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 packed teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon minced fresh lavender leaves
1 1/2 cups white spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Lavender blossoms and spikes for decoration, optional
Granulated sugar for topping
Steps
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, honey and vanilla extract until very smooth, like mayonnaise. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer or a fork. Add the powdered sugar and mix until very smooth.
Add the orange zest, lavender and 1/3 of the flour. Mix until almost combined, then add another third of the flour. Mix, then add the remaining flour. Mix until a dry dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper about 12 inches by 16 inches. Use the parchment to shape the dough into a cylinder about 1 1/2 inches thick. Roll the dough in the parchment paper and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or until quite firm. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 F.
Unroll the dough from the parchment paper. Then, cut the dough into 1/4-inch thick cookies. If cutting them with a knife is misshaping the cookies, you can use floss to cut the cookies. Just wiggle a string of floss under the dough cylinder and pull each end of the floss to the opposite side. Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
If you want to decorate the cookies, you can use both lavender blossoms and the entire spike of the plant. For the blossoms, I suggest using dull tweezers or chopsticks to remove the blossoms from the plant. Then, press down on the blossoms to flatten them completely. Use the tweezers or chopsticks to press the blossom into the cookie. For the spike, simply cut off the spike, press down to flatten it and press it into the cookie.
Sprinkle the cookies with a thin, even layer of granulated sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the bottoms are beginning to brown but the tops are still pale. Eat up!
Sustainability tips
Butter: Since cows contribute a lot to climate change, I like to buy my dairy products from B Corps, which are held to really high environmental and social standards. You could also try vegan butter options like coconut oil, but keep in mind that I have not tested the recipe with vegan butter replacements.
Honey: Local honey for the win! If you buy your honey locally, you can get to know your local food producers and the honey won't have to travel a million miles (read: release a million emissions) to get to you. Alternatively, you could buy honey from a minority-owned business to help close the racial wealth gap.
Lavender: Your best option here is to grow the lavender yourself, but any local lavender is also a great option. This way, you can get to know the food producers in your area.
Flour: I like to buy King Arthur brand flour because King Arthur Flour is a B Corp, which means that they're held to a high environmental and social standard. Alternatively, you could seek out a farmer who grows and mills flour locally. Buying locally can help connect you to your local food system and cut back on the miles your food has to travel.