Description
Delightfully fragrant and tender Lemon Lavender Cookies, perfectly sweetened with a zesty lemon glaze. These cookies blend the bright citrus notes of lemon with the subtle floral aroma of dried lavender for a unique and refreshing treat. Ideal for teatime, gifting, or anytime you want a sophisticated homemade cookie with a burst of fresh flavors.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Lemon Lavender Cookies
- 2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups (298 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 3/4 cups (330 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried lavender
Lemon Glaze
- 1/2 cup (57 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- heavy cream, as needed
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. This step ensures a smooth, airy base for the cookie dough.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Incorporate the eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the butter-sugar mix. Beat until all ingredients are thoroughly combined, ensuring the lemon flavors are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and dried lavender. This blends all dry components evenly, allowing the lavender and leavening agents to be well incorporated.
- Combine Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Avoid overmixing to ensure tender cookies with a good texture.
- Chill Dough: Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Chilling helps the dough firm up, making it easier to scoop and preventing excessive spreading while baking.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat and set aside.
- Shape Cookies: Scoop 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of cookie dough for each cookie and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them approximately 3 inches apart to allow for spreading during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are set.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet. Cooling on the tray helps prevent breakage and keeps the cookies soft.
- Prepare Lemon Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and enough heavy cream to create a thin, smooth glaze. Add cream gradually to achieve the desired runny consistency.
- Glaze Cookies: Using a fork or spoon, drizzle the lemon glaze over each cooled cookie. Allow the glaze to set before serving or storing.
Notes
- Ensure butter is softened, not melted, to achieve the correct cookie dough texture.
- Do not overmix the dough once dry ingredients are added to avoid tough cookies.
- Chilling the dough is key to preventing excessive spreading during baking.
- If desired, substitute dried lavender with culinary-grade fresh lavender, but use less as fresh lavender is more potent.
- Adjust the thickness of the lemon glaze by adding more or less heavy cream as needed.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 40mg