Buttery Lemon & Lavender Shortbread (Easy Recipe)

Buttery Lemon & Lavender Shortbread (Easy Recipe)

Why You Should Give This Recipe a Try

One of my favorite things is taking a few minutes to enjoy afternoon tea with a small treat. This Buttery Lemon & Lavender Shortbread (Easy Recipe) takes my basic recipe for shortbread and adds the bright flavors of fresh lemon zest and lemon juice with just the right hint of lavender. And I know what you’re thinking (because I thought it, too): won’t these taste like hand soap? Absolutely not! After many experiments I have hit upon just the right amount lavender buds to lend the perfect amount of lavender flavor.

These tender, buttery, flavorful shortbread cookies are the perfect addition to an elegant Mother’s Day brunch and make a wonderful treat for bridal showers and baby showers. But don’t just save them for special occasions: Buttery Lemon & Lavender Shortbread is simple enough to bake up for a quick and delicious afternoon snack along with a cup of tea. And I should know, I have made all sorts of shortbread. Try some of these others:  Easy Traditional Irish Butter Shortbread Cookies, Strawberry Shortbread Sandwich Cookies, and Chocolate Dipped Orange Shortbread Cookies.

Some of the best features of this recipe:

Flavor: Lavender is a unique flavor and these shortbread cookies contain just the right amount. It is also a flavor that pairs perfectly with the bright lemon flavor of fresh juice and zest.

Festive: Sprinkle lavender buds and sparkling sugar over the dough before baking to create an elevated treat perfect for serving to guests.

Easy: These mix up quickly and get spread into one 9-inch cake pan. Score them before baking for easy cutting after baking. This is a great option when you aren’t in the mood to form individual cookies.

As with all of my recipes, Buttery Lemon & Lavender Shortbread (Easy Recipe) is super simple with no complex cooking techniques and no special ingredients. Can’t find food-grade lavender in the grocery store? No worries, you can easily order it online. 

Recipe Ingredients

1 cup butter (room temperature)

​1 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

​Zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp culinary lavender (divided)

Coarse sugar/sparkling sugar (optional)

Helpful Tools

• ​9-inch cake pan
• Parchment paper
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Stand mixer/electric mixer
• Large bowl
• ​Citrus microplane zester
• ​Dry measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Sharp knife or bench scraper
• Wire cooling rack

Ingredient Notes

Lavender: You will be adding lavender buds specifically prepared for culinary use. Generally, culinary lavender is less strong than what you would find in essential oils, providing a nice light, not soapy, flavor. I buy mine on Amazon.

Lemon: Because lemon and lavender provide the flavor in this recipe, be sure you are using fresh juice.

Coarse sugar/sparkling sugar: This is totally optional but adds a great crunch and a nice little shine to your shortbread.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cut out a circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of the cake pan.

3. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

4. Place the parchment paper circle in the bottom of the pan and spray that as well. Set aside.

5. Measure out two cups of all purpose flour into a large bowl and set aside.

6. Zest the lemon and squeeze out two tablespoons of juice. Set aside.

7. Cut the softened butter into tablespoon sized pieces (doesn’t have to be exact) and place them in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. 

8. Add the confectioners sugar and cream the butter and sugar together on low speed, about 2 minutes.

9. Mix in the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

10. Slowly add in the flour into the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined, scraping up from the bottom and down from the sides to make sure everything is incorporated.

11. Add in 2 tsp of lavender and mix on low speed until just combined. You can stir it in by hand if you prefer.

12. Pour the dough into the prepared baking pan. It is a very thick dough.

13. Push out the dough from the center to the sides of the pan. It should be an even thickness all around. Start by using your hands and then switch to the bottom of a measuring cup or the back of a spoon.

14. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tsp of lavender over the top of the dough and lightly press it in.

15. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a bit of sparkling sugar or coarse sugar (optional). Lightly press it into the dough.

16. Lightly score the surface of the dough with a bench scraper to form 8 equal triangles.

17. Bake until the dough is just golden, 28-30 minutes.

18. Allow the shortbread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then gently turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

19. When the shortbread is completely cool, cut it into triangles along the lines you scored before baking. Be sure to wait until it is completely cooled before cutting.

Check out the recipe card with the step-by-step directions for this Best Lemon & Lavender Shortbread (Easy Recipe), below.

Storage

Store cut and cooled shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature, 4-5 days.

Tips & Tricks

​Always remember to measure your flour by spooning it loosely into a measuring cup and swiping off the excess with a knife. This will keep you from adding too much flour to your mixture.

You can lightly crush the lavender using the back of the spoon to bring out more of the flavor

Once you add in the dry ingredients, do not over mix the dough. Mixing until just combined will help to preserve the tender texture of the shortbread.

Shortbread dough is pretty thick, so you should start pressing it into the parchment-lined pan using your hands. Be sure to push it out to a consistent thickness so that it bakes evenly. You can smooth out your finger marks using the bottom of a measuring cup or the back of a spoon. 

A bench scraper is the best size and most convenient way for scoring the dough in the pan. If you don’t have one, you can use a small, sharp knife. Do not cut all the way through the dough. You will be using the lines as a guide to cut the cookies once they are cool. 

I love a good treat, especially at teatime. These are some of my favorites:

Easy Double Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Recipe

Easy Russian Tea Cakes (Cookies without Eggs)

Easy Linzer Tart Cookies with Raspberry Filling

Easy Homemade Baked Cake Donuts without Yeast