Buttery Lemon & Lavender Shortbread (Easy Recipe)
Buttery Lemon & Lavender Shortbread (Easy Recipe) are tender, buttery cookies with the bright flavors of lemon and lavender.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners (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 or sparkling sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut out a circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of the cake pan.
- Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the parchment paper circle in the bottom of the pan and spray that as well. Set aside.
- Measure out two cups of all purpose flour into a large bowl and set aside.
- Zest the lemon and squeeze out two tablespoons of juice. Set aside.
- 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.
- Add the confectioners sugar and cream the butter and sugar together on low speed, about 2 minutes.
- Mix in the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- 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.
- Add in 2 tsp of lavender and mix on low speed until just combined. You can stir it in by hand if you prefer.
- Pour the dough into the prepared baking pan. It is a very thick dough.
- 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.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tsp of lavender over the top of the dough and lightly press it in.
- Sprinkle the top of the dough with a bit of sparkling sugar or coarse sugar (optional). Lightly press it into the dough.
- Lightly score the surface of the dough with a bench scraper to form 8 equal triangles.
- Bake until the dough is just golden, 28-30 minutes.
- Allow the shortbread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then gently turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- 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.