After being immersed in lavender so deeply, I was inspired to use the dried culinary lavender buds I’d bought to create some artful-looking lavender tea cookies when I returned home. I decorated one batch with little piped lavender sprigs, and with only minimal piping skills you can do the same. But if you’re in a hurry, or can’t pipe at all, decorate just by icing, then quickly sprinkling a little purple garnishing sugar over top as you see at the bottom right. In case you’ve not tasted lavender before, its flavor is citrusy and spicy, and, depending on the variety, also has hints of rosemary, mint, and lemon balm. It is just terrific in these cookies.
For a super-simple icing: Simply stir together 2 cups powdered sugar, scant ⅛ teaspoon lavender extract or vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon light corn syrup and enough water to produce a spreadable, slightly thin consistency, then spread it on with a table knife. If you have or want to make
lavender syrup, use it in place of the water. (If you object to corn syrup you can leave it out, but it does improve spread-ability and gives the icing a little gloss.) Or go to my
lavender royal icing recipe here.
Cut out the cookies in whatever shapes you like. I chose ruffled-edge oval cutters, which I thought seemed a little special and would help dress up the cookies for an afternoon tea table.
Tip: If you are new to making rolled, cut-out cookies,
my very popular Youtube video showing the rolling out method described below will get you off to a good start. You’ll turn out more attractive cookies with far less fuss and cleanup than is possible rolling dough the old-fashioned way, on a floured surface.
Tip: The recipe calls for butter; don’t even think about substituting margarine. And for best flavor, use unsalted butter. (If you must use salted butter, cut the amount called for in the recipe to a scant ¼ teaspoon.)