Lemon Lavender Sugar Cookies

Before driving across the country from Atlanta to Los Angeles last summer, Melo and I took a visit to the Dekalb Farmer’s Market to stock up on spices and herbs that would otherwise be too expensive to purchase in California due to the sunshine tax. One of the herbs we purchased was lavender.

Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles I experimented with the lavender: putting it in french toast, tea, and cookies. Oh. My. The cookies. Definitely the best lavender experiment to date.

I had scoured the inter-webs for a sugar cookie recipe that didn’t require rolling, chilling, or cutting. Lo and behold, Pinterest was my salvation. I adapted a sugar cookie recipe that I found from blogger Lauren at Baking Away. The cookies are rolled in sugar before baking so when they’re done it looks like they have this wintry frost thing going on. Plus, they are nice and chewy on the outside but oh-so-tender on the inside. In other words, pure perfection. 

I made these for some friends in Melo’s cohort and also for our housewarming party last August and they were a hit. People still mention them. The lavender just blooms in your mouth and the lemon is bright and sunny. They are perfect for a rainy day, a summer picnic, or if you just want to generally feel better about life. There’s no way you can feel bad after eating on of these. Five, maybe. But one, never.

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons crushed lavender
• 1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir dry ingredients in small bowl to combine (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, lavender).
3. In your mixer, cream butter and sugar together until smooth.
4. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and egg to creamed mixture and blend.
5. Slowly add dry ingredients a little at a time to creamed mixture until all ingredients are blended well.
6. Spoon cookie dough by rounded tablespoons and roll in sugar.
7. Place on cookie sheet a couple of inches apart.
8. Bake for 9-10 minutes.
9. Let sit on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes before removing and placing on cooling rack.
10. Try to eat just one. I dare ya.

If you try ’em, let us know what you think!