Lemon and lavender shortbread.

 

Cake club at the lavender fields.

Lavender has always loomed large in my life. My parents and grandparents grew large swathes of it. The thin impoverished soil of  the chalk downland I live on is perfect for it. So much so a local farm turns this area of Surrey into Provence with a vista of purple row upon row. Open your car windows as you drive past and the fragrance simply pours in.

Lavender nestles up to my front door, longing to be touched to release it’s perfume. Honey bees fill their pollen sacs so full they can barely take off to return to their hives.

For goodness sake the children at the school I teach in all wear purple jumpers!

With lavender all around me I had to cook with it too.

Lemon and lavender shortbread.

Ingredients

Ingredients

150g plain flour

100g softened butter

50g lavender caster sugar (pop some lavender into a jar filled with caster sugar, as you would for vanilla sugar)

lavender sugar

rind of a lemon, finely grated.

How to……

• Preheat the oven to 160c
• Beat together the butter, lemon and sugar until well combined.
• Work in the flour, first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands.
• Knead together until the dough becomes uniform and pliable.
• Leave to rest on the side for 30 minutes.
• Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment. Cut out using cookie cutters of your choice.

• Place on a baking tray and pop into the fridge for 10 minutes to set up a little before baking. This makes the shape of the cookie stay sharp when baked.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until just beginning to darken slightly.

lemon and lavender shortbreads.

• Place on a wire rack to cool.

I’m adding this to the July 2014 Cooking with herbs link up being hosted this month by Karen at Lavender and Lovage. This isn’t a recipe containing basil but ….