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Glazed lemon lavender shortbread cookies stacked on a wooden tray.

Buttery Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

These lemon lavender shortbread cookies are melt-in-your-mouth buttery. They look fancy, but are really easy to make, and smell amazing while they bake—perfect for tea time, gifting, or a cozy afternoon treat!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Servings: 15 cookies
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: British
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Shortbread Cookie Dough
  • 75 g granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons culinary grade lavender
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 135 g unsalted butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 150 g all-purpose flour
  • 25 g corn starch
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
To Decorate
  • 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • 60 g powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons culinary grade lavender for sprinkling

Method
 

Make the Dough
  1. Blend 75 g granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons culinary grade lavender, and zest of 1 lemon in a food processor until the lavender is finely chopped and the sugar is very fragrant. If you don't have a food processor, you can rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips and finely-chop the lavender.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a medium mixing bowl, cream 135 g unsalted butter with the infused sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
  3. Sift in 150 g all-purpose flour, 25 g corn starch, and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt. Mix on low speed just until combined.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper, to about ¼" (0.6 cm) thick. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to firm up, and use a cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can. Gather the scraps together to roll and cut out more cookies.
  5. Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a perforated baking mat, leaving at least ½" (1.3 cm) of space between. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to turn golden around the edges.
  6. Leave to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Glaze & Decorate
  1. While the cookies cool, make the glaze. Whisk together 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice and 60 g powdered sugar until completely smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more lemon juice or powdered sugar, until the glaze is pourable but thick.
  2. When the cookies have cooled completely, spoon a little glaze on the top of each cookie and use the back of a spoon to spread it just shy of the edge. Sprinkle on some lavender buds.
  3. Leave the cookies uncovered until the glaze sets, and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Notes

Recipe yield is based on rolling the dough ¼" (0.6 cm) thick and using a 2 ½” (6.3 cm) circular cookie cutter and re-rolling scraps. If you use a different size or shape cookie cutter or roll to a different thickness, your mileage may vary!