Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookie dough

1. Combine sugar and lavender flowers in a clean coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle, and blend until the flowers are in smaller pieces.

   ½ cup granulated sugar

   3 teaspoons dried lavender flowers

2. Add the lavender sugar into a large bowl. Grate the lemon zest into the sugar. Rub the mixture with your fingers to break up the lemon zest and to release the fragrant lemon oils.

   2 lemons

3. Add the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Beat together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl frequently to ensure even mixing.

   1 cup salted butter

   ¼ teaspoon sea salt

4. Then, sift the flour into the butter mixture. Gently mix until it becomes a dough.

   2 ¾ cup all purpose flour

5. Dump the shortbread dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Press it together into a cohesive ball. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top. Gently roll the dough into 1/2" thickness.

6. Cut out small 2" diameter flower shapes using a cookie cutter. Alternatively, use a knife to cut out square shaped cookies. Reroll the dough to cut out more cookies as needed.

7. Place the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving only a bit of space between the cookies because they don't spread much. Freeze for 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 340°F (170°C).

8. Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes, until the bottoms are very lightly golden. Let them cool on the cookie sheet.