Though the history of lavender in the Mediterranean goes back some 2500 years, this recipe for cookies is certainly not that old.
English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia, synonyms L. officinalis, L. vera, L. latifola, L. delphinensis, L. spica,) is the most widely cultivated species of lavender and is the one that is commonly used as a culinary spice.
Basic Lavender Sugar Cookies
Cream the butter and the lavender sugar together, then add in flour. Mix thoroughly. Roll into ball and chill approximately 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Flour your hands first. Then form dough into smaller dough balls, less than 1 inch. Flour your hands again as needed. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Add more flour, if needed.
Roll each small ball in extra lavender sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are just beginning to lightly brown around the edges. Carefully remove, and allow to cool on wire racks.
In the past I have enjoyed eating lavender cookies in May through Mid-Summer, usually at organic lavender farms, lavender festivals, and even at Mid-Summer Faerie celebration.
The jar also came with some mix-your-own-lavender-sugar instructions, to which I added just a bit more of information...
Home-Mixed Lavender Sugar
To make lavender sugar, you need fresh or dried culinary lavender flowers, which can often be found in either health/natural food stores or in herb/spice stores. If you have a lavender farm nearby, that is another place where culinary lavender flowers can be purchased.
The lavender flowers will have to be ground fine. Like other herbs/spices, a mortar and pestel is the old fashioned way to grind up the flowers. However, most modern cooks use a food processor or a clean coffee grinder to powder and blend the lavender flowers together with sugar.
The suggested ratio of dried culinary lavender flowers to suger is one 1 teaspoon of dried lavender flowers to 3 Tablespoons of sugar. Thus, prior to preparing this recipe mix a ratio of 1/3 cup dried lavender flowers to 1 cup sugar, and you will have extra sugar for other lavender cooking projects later. This mixture ought to sit in a sealed jar for a time period to allow the lavender to flavor the sugar.
Added Info: I always thought lovely lavender was a very magical plant/flower/herb/spice. If you are purposely intending to cook in a little extra magic into these treats, allow the sugar to sit for 15 days during the waxing phase of the moon.
2015
Practical Celebration Recipies & Preps
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