Lavender Shortbread

The soothing aromatics of the Lavender Shortbread's make for a delightful treat. Your whole house will fill with a light lavender smell while baking in the oven.  The buttery melt in your mouth traditional biscuit are always a hit during tea time. I was lucky enough to have my Aunt Marg give me an assortment of different lavender last spring. What I did not use fresh, I was able to dry and store for later uses.

overview

• Prep Time: 20 minute
• Total Time: 1 hours
• Makes: 24

ingredients

½ cup cornstarch   

½  cup powdered sugar   

1  cup flour   

¾ cup  softened butter 

2 tsp. fresh lavender (or 1 tsp. dried lavender)

directions

Sift together the cornstarch, icing (powdered) sugar and flour. 

Blend in butter until a soft smooth dough forms.

Using a mortar and pestle lightly grind lavender then mix into dough. 

Using a lightly floured parchment sheet and a floured rolling pin roll out dough. About ¼" thick.

Place dough flat in the fridge to chill 30 minutes.

Remove from fridge, using small cookie cutters cut out your desired shapes. Reroll scrap dough (it should still be cool enough to hold a nice sharp edge when cut), cut out as many cookies as you can.

Carefully place 1 ½" apart on a cookie sheet, I use a pastry knife to lift the shaped dough.

Bake 300°F for 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.

tips & tricks

Watch that they don't brown, you want to pull them out while they still look a slightly underdone - the idea is that they do not brown on the bottom.