Three years ago, we had a landscape gardener design our front and back garden which included rows of lavender. The small patch of grass we had in our front garden was filled with yellow, golden stones. This year, the lavender has really bloomed and fills the front garden with a nice sweet smell. I’m really pleased with it this year – they’re absolutely gorgeous!
So I decided to make good use of the lavender from my back garden! After harvesting the lavender, I gave it a good wash and hung it up to dry off. After that, I removed the stems of the lavender and collected the flowers using a sieve. Then I chopped the clean flowers into small bits before I added it into my shortbread mixture. I love this Lavender Shortbread recipe because there are minimal ingredients required. It can make around 20 – 30 shortbreads. I used a heart cutter and I made 28 shortbreads.
Ingredients:
- 200g unsalted butter, slightly soft
- 100g caster sugar plus extra for sprinkling
- 300g plain flour plus a little extra for dusting
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons of freshly chopped Lavender
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180c/160c/gas mark 4. Line 1-2 baking trays with non-stick baking parchment.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is smooth pale and creamy.
- Add chopped lavender into the mixture and stirr well.
- Sift in the flour and salt, then beat the mixture until it begins to form a dough.
- Tip out the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin until it is about the thickness of two pound coins. Then cut out your shape with your cookie cutter. Re-roll the trimmings to cut out more shapes if necessary.
- Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until they are a pale gold colour.
- Sprinkle the hot biscuits with caster sugar then carefully move to a wire rack to cool.
The shortbread is very delicious with a hint of Lavender. If you prefer to have a stronger flavour, then add more into your mixture.
Now I can’t wait to make good use of my Lavender! I am thinking of making a lavender pouch for my mum!
