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    Home » Cookies

    Published on: April 4, 2018 by Janice; Updated on: April 7, 2022 9 Comments

    Lavender shortbread cookies dipped in white chocolate

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    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    lavender shortbread cookies baked in a fluted tart pan for a scalloped edge, then cut into wedges and dipped in white chocolate and lavender buds

    Are you a fan of classic shortbread? These lavender shortbread cookies are very easy to make because all you have to do is press the dough into a pan to bake them! No dough rolling or rolling pins required! This twist on the classic shortbread recipe is made with only a few ingredients. 

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    Classic shortbread cookies- lavender shortbread cut into triangles and dipped in white chocolate

    I added lavender to the classic shortbread ratio. That's entirely optional. I love lavender, but not everybody is a fan and that's okay. Follow the recipe below but skip the lavender to make them plain if you prefer. Or you can try a different dried herb or spice, or even tea!

    You can get really creative with this basic shortbread recipe, as long as you keep the ratio of ingredients intact. You can read all about baking ratios and how to use them if you'd like to learn more!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Baking with lavender
    • Special tools
    • 📖 Recipe
    Ingredients to make lavender shortbread cookies measured out and ready to be mixed.

    Ingredients

    The beauty of shortbread cookies is that they don't call for special ingredients or trips to the grocery store. You likely have everything you need (except for the lavender buds). Here's what you need:

    • butter—opt for unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt that goes into your cookies
    • sugar—specifically granulated sugar in this recipe because you don't want any flavour to interfere with the delicate floral lavender and creamy white chocolate
    • flour—use all-purpose flour which will give these cookies a little structure and sturdiness without being tough
    • salt is really important to balance out the sweet buttery flavour. Don't skip it. I like to use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but table salt will work, though the cookies will be saltier and you may want to halve the salt in that case
    • dried lavender—make sure it's edible so use culinary grade only!
    • white chocolate—I like to use a high quality white chocolate like from the brand Cacao Barry.
    Crumbly shortbread cookie dough in a pan, ready to be pressed into place to smooth it out before baking.

    Baking with lavender

    Is lavender edible?

    Though lavender is used to scent sachets of potpourri, the flower buds are actually edible. Besides being used to make rooms and clothes smell good, dried lavender is often added to tea blends, and also to baked goods, such as cupcakes and icings. Make sure to buy culinary lavender so you know it's edible (and not laced with perfume). You can find culinary grade lavender buds on Amazon.

    Culinary lavender is sold as blossoms usually and you will probably find culinary lavender in the loose leaf tea aisle or the spice aisle of many stores. The blossoms are tiny, their colour, a vibrant blueish-purple. They have a very floral aroma, which carries through when you bake with it.

    Shortbread cookie dough pressed into a tart pan before baking, using a flat-bottomed glass to create a smooth surface.

    Infusing a dough with lavender flavour

    I decided that the best method to get lavender into the shortbread would be to first cream the lavender and the butter together, hopefully lightly infusing the butter with some of the lavender essence, before adding the dry ingredients. I followed a basic 1:2:3 ratio of sugar/butter/flour to make these lavender shortbread cookies.

    If you add lavender to cookies, it will impart a floral aroma (flavour and scent) to the cookies. Make sure to use the right amount. Too much lavender may go from a lovely floral flavour in baked goods to soapy if you are too heavy-handed.

    Lavender shortbread cookies in a tart pan cut into wedges before baking.

    Special tools

    To make shortbread cookie dough, I like to use either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to help cream the butter and the sugar so that they are well mixed. You can do this by hand too. Besides a mixer, you will also need:

    • a spatula for scraping down the sides of the bowl and the bottom to make sure the sugar and butter are properly incorporated
    • a tart pan with removable bottom or another pan with sides with the same volume (get the baking pan conversions chart to help you swap pans with ease!)
    • a glass or flat-bottom jar to press the dough from edge to edge to make a smooth, firm base
    • a bench scraper (also called a pastry cutter) or a chef's knife or pairing knife to score the dough and a fork or a chocolate dipping fork to poke holes to let steam and air escape in the oven

    The recipe yields a very crumbly-textured dough. All you have to do is dump the crumbs into the pan and press them down with a glass (watch the video below!).

    I scored the shortbread (or rather I sliced through to the bottom just to be sure), docked them with a fork and popped them into my preheated oven. I baked these shortbread cookie wedges at 350ºF. Some shortbread purists may argue that shortbread should be baked at a lower temperature to keep them from colouring in the oven. I like my shortbread a little golden around the edges. Adds flavour.

    Press shortbread cookie dough into a tart pan with a crinkled edge, score, bake, and cut again for perfect triangle shortbread wedges

    What else you can bake with it

    • add a little lavender to a classic shortbread cookie ratio to make lavender shortbread cookies (recipe below)
    • infuse honey with lavender buds and make lavender honey cakes
    • add dry lavender to vanilla sablé cookies
    • infuse milk with lavender to make panna cotta, just like you would tea in Earl grey panna cotta tarts
    • add lavender buds to cakes and frosting in the same way tea is added to an Earl Grey cake
    • infuse cream with lavender to make lavender chocolate truffles. 
    Lavender shortbread cookies dipped in a pale yellow bowl of white chocolate with a stoneware bowl of lavender

    After 5 minutes of cooling in the pan on a wire rack, I re-cut the shortbread along the lines and let them cool completely before unmolding the shortbread wedges. I then dipped the sides of each shortbread triangle in melted white chocolate and sprinkled a few dried lavender blossoms on each. This is entirely optional. I happen to love white chocolate.

    The lavender truly comes through in this shortbread cookie recipe: floral, but not too floral, buttery, not too sweet. These shortbread have a crumbly, sandy texture, just the way a traditional shortbread should be.

    Lavender shortbread cookies cut into wedges with scalloped crinkle edges and edges dipped in white chocolate and lavender buds

    These lavender shortbread are much easier to make than shortbread cookies with jam, but equally satisfying and just as stunning because the shortbread wedges are dipped in chocolate!

    📖 Recipe

    Perfect shortbread wedges- lavender shortbread cookies cut into triangles and dipped in white chocolate
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    Lavender shortbread cookies dipped in white chocolate

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    This recipe is a fun lavender twist on the classic shortbread cookie and it's made in the easiest way possible! The dough is pressed into a scalloped edge tart pan and sliced into shortbread triangle wedges before baking for perfect shortbread cookies!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine British
    Keyword lavender shortbread, lavender shortbread cookies
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Total Time 40 minutes
    Servings 8
    Calories 367kcal
    Author Janice

    Equipment

    Tart pan
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    5 Qt mixer
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    GIR spatula

    Ingredients

    • 173 grams (¾ cup) unsalted butter
    • 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) dried lavender make sure it's edible, culinary grade lavender and not potpourri!
    • 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar you can go as low as 88 grams of sugar for a less sweet shortbread cookie
    • 255 grams (2 cups) bleached all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

    Optional ingredients

    • 175 grams (1 cup) Cacao Barry white chocolate melted
    • Dried lavender for garnish

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F.
    • In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and lavender for 1 minute.
    • Add sugar and mix, scraping down sides of mixer as needed, until mixture is creamy.
    • Add flour and salt, and mix on low until the dough is crumbly.
    • Pour crumbs into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press with the bottom of a glass to form a firm, even layer. 
    • Cut/score into 8 wedges. 
    • Dock with a fork or metal skewer to poke holes through the shortbread cookie surface allowing steam to escape as the shortbread bake so that they dry out.
    • Bake for 30-40 minutes, rotating at least once to ensure that they bake evenly (keep an eye on them to make sure that they do not brown too much). The edges will be lightly golden.
    • Remove from oven and let cool slightly before re-cutting along the scored lines.
    • Let cool completely before removing the slices from the pans.
    • Dip or brush each slice with melted chocolate. Sprinkle with a few lavender blossoms.
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    Video

    Notes

    For this recipe, I used the 9-inch tart pan from this Wilton set that you can buy on Amazon.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @bakesomethingawesome or tag #bakesomethingawesome!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 367kcal
    lavender shortbread cookies baked in a fluted tart pan for a scalloped edge, then cut into wedges and dipped in white chocolate and lavender buds

    Please note this post contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you buy a product I recommend, I will get a small commission, and the price you have to pay will not change in any way.

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    Comments

    1. Magic of Spice says

      July 10, 2010 at 3:18 am

      This is a great recipe...I love cooking with lavender:)

      Reply
    2. The Housewife says

      July 10, 2010 at 8:48 am

      These are gorgeous and how innovative that you paired lavender with the shortbread! So pretty!

      Reply
    3. baking.serendipity says

      July 10, 2010 at 1:21 pm

      I love shortbread! The lavender pairing sounds fantastic!

      Reply
    4. Lynn says

      July 11, 2010 at 3:33 am

      I think I might make these just to have the smell of cookies and lavender in my apartment at the same time!

      Reply
    5. C&C Cakery says

      July 11, 2010 at 12:37 am

      I love herbs and cookies! Rosemary shortbread is one of my favourites (especially with some walnuts added in) - I'll have to try lavender next time!

      Reply
    6. TeenieCakes says

      July 11, 2010 at 5:22 pm

      I haven't come across lavender...need to find some as I'm seeing wonderful recipes like this one that uses it. Lovely shortbread - shortbread is a classic good anytime of the year and any time of the day! Thanks for sharing this.

      Reply
    7. a.r. says

      August 25, 2019 at 2:36 am

      This is a wonderful recipe, the lavender aroma paired well with the buttery shortbread!
      GDFSMDSC132157256

      Reply
    8. Monica says

      October 20, 2021 at 10:30 pm

      Your discourse about ratios is amazing, thank you for explaining it in such detail. I noticed that this recipe uses 100 grams of sugar, 230 grams of butter, and 250 grams of flour. The percentages are: sugar 14%, sugar 20%, and flour 57%, or 1: 2.3:2.5. This is different from the recommended sugar 17%, sugar 33%, and flour 50%, or 1:2:3.

      Is there a reason for this deviation?

      How much leeway is there to vary the percentages?

      Thank you

      Reply
      • Janice says

        October 24, 2021 at 4:45 pm

        Hi Monica,

        Great question! There is a lot of room for variation with baking ratios. In this case, I played with the 1:2:3 ratio in order to facilitate the conversion of the recipe from grams to cups, so that the volumes would make nice round numbers for the recipe because I know many of my readers prefer to measure dry ingredients by volume, not weight. Hah!

        I always like to use ratios as a jumping off point, especially if I don't know where to start when I first create a recipe. Then I tend to play around with it to see how far I can push each component and deviate from the ratio, but also keeping in mind that I nee to convert the recipe to volumes also has an impact on where I go with the numbers. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. Hope that makes sense!

        Reply

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