A few years back I was at work and a co-worker had just returned from the farmers market with a bag of lavender. She told me about a lavender shortbread recipe that her mother always made. Since then, whenever I pass the little lavender stand at the Union Square Greenmarket, I always think of that shortbread. Last week, I decided to just buy a bunch of it myself and make a few recipes.
The first recipe was using the fresh lavender. The smell was so blissfully wonderful and permeated my entire Teeny Tiny Kitchen.
I am constantly inspired by Joy the Baker, and I tried her recipe for Lavender Shortbread Cookies. The dough was very similar to that of a sugar cookie and even with my limited counter space, I was able to roll and cut them out.
The second recipe was for Happy Tuesdays (gluten and dairy free) was from another one of my favorites, Elana’s Pantry. I love her recipes because they are super simple, have less than 10 ingredients, and take less than 20 minutes to make. Glee! I also recently picked up a bag of almond flour at Trader Joes, and this was a perfect fit for cookie making! I’m always a little stunned when people enjoy the ‘healthy’ cookies that I sneak in. The almond flour is a great alternative to wheat flour because it is low carb and still provides essential fatty acids that your body needs. The agave has a low glycemic index which = no sugar rush! Bliss all around.
- 1 ¼ cups blanched almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons dried lavender, finely minced
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil
- 3 tablespoons agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
- Mix wet ingredients into dry
- Form ½ inch balls and press onto a parchment paper
lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes
- Cool and serve
lined baking sheet
