Lemony Lavender Shortbread Cookies - Gluten Free

 

• ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp pure lemon extract or lemon zest from one lemon
• dash of salt
• 2¼ cups gluten-free flour blend
  1 tsp baking powder
  1/2 tsp baking soda
  1 tbs dried culinary lavender flowers

Yes, lavender is an edible flower. It does not taste like it's fragrance; it has a tangy flavor. Photo just below is one of the buds from my previous lavender farm in California. Be sure to use culinary lavender or lavender you have grown because you don't want to take a risk using flowers just purchased from a nursery as they may have been sprayed. (Although I have never known lavender to need any sprays). 

Earlier this year I harvested my lavender flowers and let them dry, (not in water). I harvest them before the buds open completely. Once the lavender buds are completely dry I rub the buds between my fingers removing them from the stems. I store the dry lavender flowers in a air tight container. Click here to read about the health benefits of lavender. Photo near the end is borrowed from this link.

Whip softened unsalted butter in a mixer till fluffy. Add the vanilla, lemon zest or extract. Next add the pure maple syrup. In a separate bowl add flour, salt, powder and soda and dried lavender flowers, mix well. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix with a spoon till blended. Knead dough with your hands to form two balls of batter. Batter will be slightly sticky but not too wet. Put one ball of batter on a sheet of parchment paper and flatten with your hand. Place another sheet of parchment paper over the batter and roll till about 1/4 inch thick. Cut rolled batter into cookies with cookie cutters of your choice.

Place cookies gently on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 11 to 13 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 F. Watch cookies closely so they don't over bake. They should not be brown at all. Immediately take cookies off of cookie sheet and dry on a open grid rack. It will take two batches to bake the cookies. Do not place second batch on a hot pan, wait till it cools.

I decided the cookies needed some frosting so I could tell just by looking they were lavender cookies. I went to the store hoping to find lavender sprinkles, but none to be found, so I got violet gel food coloring. Mixed up some softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Violet gel was a complete waste since it didn't color the frosting at all. Just to get a bit of color I added a dab of beet juice and a dab of pomegranate juice. Still barely any color. But the frosting had a nice tangy flavor from the two juices. I couldn't add too much juice because the frosting would have been too runny.  I rarely eat or make sweet items so these cookies were a real treat. Gary said you need a glass of milk with these cookies. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.