After a nice piece on CBS Sunday Morning about the farm and my role in the Cookie Bill controversy in Wisconsin, I've been getting lots of requests for the recipe featured on the show. Of course I'll share! Cookies for all! Enjoy.
Lavender Lemon Sunshine Shortbreads
This is a glorified herbal sugar cookie – snipped fresh rosemary or thyme will work instead of lavender – but my husband calls the lavender version “irresistible.” Amazing with a cup English Breakfast tea and pretty transcendent with Lady Grey.
Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup confectioners sugar
½ tsp sea salt
2 lemons, zested (save to juice for icing)
1 tbsp dried lavender (or 1 ½ tbsp. of a fresh herb)
2 large egg yolks (pastured or grass-fed will give you the great sunny color)
2 cups unbleached flour
1 ½ c confectioners sugar
juice from the lemons (about ¼ cup)
dried lavender, more zest
Beat butter in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add the sugars, salt, zest and lavender, beat until smooth. Add egg yolks and beat until blended. Add the flour all at once and mix until incorporated ONLY. Dough should look crumbly like wet sand. Scrape into a ball and shape into a long role (if cutting into thin wafers) or a flattened disk (if rolling out for cut-outs). Wrap in waxed paper and chill for an hour at least.
Preheat oven to 350. Remove dough from fridge and soften slightly, then either slice into ¼ inch wafers, or roll flat for cut-outs. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet 1-inch apart. Slide sheet into a freezer for 10 minutes. Then bake in oven for 13-15 minutes until set but not browned. WATCH carefully. Allow to cool slightly on sheet. Mix ingredients for glaze, blend with a small whisk and let sit while you remove cookies to rack to cool completely. Mix glaze again to remove sugar lumps, drizzle over cookies and tip cookies to cover completely. While glaze is wet sprinkle with lavender flowers and zest another lemon over the top. When glaze sets up, flowers will stick. Makes about 2-3 dozen depending on size of roll or cutter.
