This orange lavender shortbread cookies recipe is perfect for those who enjoy light, floral aromas. With their crispy texture and delicate flavor, they’re the perfect treat for summer! Enjoy them with a cup of coffee or tea, after lunch dessert at work, or as a perfect treat to end any picnic.
The recipe is that of a typical shortbread cookie, with a twist. I also added quick cooking oats for some extra nutrition and texture. In addition, you will also need the zest of one medium orange for the dough.
The lavender flavor is incorporated into the glaze. That way you can leave a few cookies unglazed if you know there will be people who dislike lavender or floral aromas.
Speaking of lavender, when buying lavender for cooking and baking, make sure it is culinary grade.
If you wish to replace the lavender with something else I suggest some finely crushed pistachios as they complement the orange flavor very well.
If you cannot eat all the cookies within 2-3 days of baking them, you can freeze the extras. They freeze nicely with and without the glaze and can keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature for 10 minutes when you’re ready to eat them.
To make these cookies I used a cookie cutter of 63 mm (2.5 inches) in diameter, which yielded 12 cookies.
See more cookie recipes here.
And this is the recipe for the orange lavender shortbread cookies:
Orange Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup (150 g/ 5 ¼ oz.) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (50 g/ 1 ¾ oz.) quick cooking oats
- 1 stick (115 g/ 4 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (60 g/ 2 oz.) icing sugar
- zest from one large orange
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 2-3 tbsp. flour for dusting the work surface
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (120 g/ 4 oz.) icing sugar
- 1 tbsp. culinary lavender
- 2-3 tbsp. water, hot
Instructions
For the cookies:
- In a bowl, sift together the flour with the salt, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the butter, and icing sugar. Using a stand mixer at low speed, or a wooden spoon, beat to a creamy and fluffy consistency. Add the vanilla extract and orange zest and beat until combined.
- Slowly add the flour and oat flakes into the mixer bowl and continue mixing until well incorporated, forming a soft dough. Gently flatten the dough to a disc of about 25 mm (1 inch) thickness. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to 6 mm (¼ inch) thickness. Using a cookie cutter cut out shapes, re-rolling scraps until all the dough is used.
- Place the cookies 25 mm (1 inch) apart, on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate them for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F).
- Take the baking tray from the fridge and place it directly into the preheated oven. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are light golden. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 2-3 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
For the glaze:
- In a bowl mix the icing sugar, lavender and 2-3 tbsp. hot water. Mix until sugar is dissolved, and mixture looks smooth. Pour or drizzle over cookies.
