In the springtime, my daughters and I usually enjoy making a trip to our local lavender farm. The fields are filled with the most beautiful blooming lavender, and the gift shop has all sorts of useful items, like hand sanitizer, lotion and more. Although the farm is closed this year, I’m taking a virtual trip by cooking at home with lavender instead. It might sound odd to cook with a flower that you can also use in beauty products, but I used a lavender extract that made it much easier to use in recipes.
Featured today on Theresa’s Reviews, I’m sharing a recipe for lavender cookies that uses white chocolate chips and a dash of vanilla. They’re sweet and not overpowering at all, but it’s the incredible cream cheese icing that’s soft and flavorful that really adds something special to this dessert.
Ingredients for the Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon Taylor & Colledge Gourmet Lavender Extract Paste from Harris Teeter *I found mine at Turf Valley*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 stick softened butter
- 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
- 1 bag white chocolate chip cookies
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In your mixer, pour in the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. Use the dough hook attachment, and put the mixer on a low speed to mix these dry ingredients.
Add in the butter, shortening, vanilla extract and lavender extract. Mix at a medium high speed until the it begins to form dough. Add in the egg and egg yolk. Mix well on a high speed. At this point, the dough should be forming well, but if it is still crumbly, you can add vegetable oil to help it combine.
Add the chocolate chips. Mix on a low speed until the dough is completely combined.
Put the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes minimum, but you can leave it in longer if you prefer.
Use an ice cream scoop to pull out small, tablespoon-sized ball of dough. Form it into a round shape with your hands, and place it on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of space between each cookie.
Bake for 12 minutes. The cookies will not quite begin to brown on the edges. When they brown, they taste overdone and the sweetness of the sugar is gone. Make sure not to overcook them.
Remove from the oven. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.
Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 stick softened butter
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Taylor & Colledge Gourmet Lavender Extract Paste from Harris Teeter
- 3 drops of purple food coloring
Instructions
Add all the ingredients to the mixer. Mix together on a medium low setting until it combines, and then you can put it on a medium high setting. The longer you mix it, the fluffier it becomes.
The cookies should be cooling on baking racks while you make the frosting. When the cookies are cooled, add the frosting on top with a spatula. Serve and enjoy!
These brought me right back to the lovely lavender fields. I could imagine myself basking in the sunlight, my children running up and down rows of lavender, and the serene mountain views.
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