Three Spring Lavender Recipes
By Abigail Shaeffer
Nothing says spring quite like fresh flowers. I celebrate the new season by bringing as many blooms inside as I can, filling vases and pitchers with forsythia, violets, and snow drops. With these recipes, I can bring spring flowers into the kitchen as well! I love baking and cooking with lavender. It can have a polarizing flavor, but these recipes use it in creative and subtle ways that everyone can appreciate. The flowers add such unique, savory layers to sweet desserts, especially when combined with the tartness of lemons. The lavender treats in these recipes would be perfect for an afternoon tea, a spring wedding shower, or a picnic outside. Save your favorite from below to try for later!
Lemon Lavender Icebox Cookies
This cookie recipe is one of my favorites because it comes together so quickly. It can also be made ahead and frozen to be pulled out for whenever you need to bake a batch quickly! I love the texture of the short bread; it pairs perfectly with the light flavors of lemon and lavender. These cookies travel well and are perfect to bring along with to whatever spring gatherings you have planned. Recipe adapted from Magnolia Table vol. 1
Directions:
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
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In a food processor, blend together the flour, powdered sugar, corn starch, salt, lemon zest, and lavender until well blended. Scatter the butter over the mixture and pulse until will combined, with the texture of wet sand.
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In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and vanilla extracts. Drizzle over the flour mixture and pulse until the dough clumps together.
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Put the dough on a work surface and divide into two parts. Roll each piece into a log about 8 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic and refrigerate or freeze until thoroughly chilled. The logs can be stored in the freezer for up to a month for later use.
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Using a sharp knife, cut each log into 18 rounds about 1/2 inch thick. Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on parchment-covered baking sheets.
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Bake until golden and firm around the edges for about 10-12 minutes. Rotate the pans about halfway through to ensure even baking.
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Cool to room temperature and store in a sealed container for up to a week.
Ingredients:
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2 cups Flour
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1 cup Powdered Sugar
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1/2 cup Corn Starch
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3/4 teaspoon Salt
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4 teaspons grated lemon zest
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1 teaspoon dried lavender
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2 sticks salted butter
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2 large egg yolks
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1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lavender Simple Syrup
I love coffee in all its forms—hot, iced, latte, you name it. The best thing about this syrup is that it can be used in whatever kind of coffee is your favorite! And if you don’t like coffee, you can also at this syrup to lemonade, fruit juice, whipped cream, or whatever else you’d like to be infused with a delicate lavender flavor. I make a batch about everyday two weeks and store it in the refrigerator for pull out for my morning coffee. It makes the start of every day feel just a little more pleasant and elevated. Recipe adapted from Oh How Civilized Blog
Directions:
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Put all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer on medium heat. Stir until all the sugar is combined.
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Remove from heat and steep for 10 minutes
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Use a mesh strainer to strain the lavender from the liquid and pour into an air tight container. The syrup will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator.
Ingredients:
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3/4 cup water
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3/4 cup sugar
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4 tablespoons dried lavender
Lavender Lemon Tart
This recipe is a little more labor-intensive than the other two, but the results are well worth the effort. Tart making isn’t as intimidating as it’s often made out to be, as long as you make sure to stir the curd continuously. I also found that it helped to press the curd through a sieve to make sure it was completely lump free. The result is a silky smooth and perfectly light spring dessert that’s as delicious as it is beautiful. Reserve a few lavender flowers to sprinkle over the top for garnish! Recipe adapted from The Farmer's Daughter Blog.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set a 9-inch tart panl. If you have a pan with a removable bottom, you may want place it on a baking sheet for easier handling.
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Grind the lavender as fine as you can. A mortar and pestle works best for this.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the lavender and sugar mixture, the flour, and the powdered sugar. Add the butter and mix on medium until uniform crumbs form. Place the dough into the tart pan, and firmly press the dough into shape. I find it easiest to start with the edges, and keep one thumb pressing down on the edge while my other hand presses the crumbs up against the side to create an even border all the way around. Then press the remaining crumbs into an even layer for the bottom. I like my crust on the thick side, but you can make it thinner and keep some crumbs aside if you’d prefer.
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Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes, or until a light brown colour. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before adding the filling.
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To make the filling: First set a fine mesh sieve over a heat proof bowl, and set aside. This will be for straining the filling once it’s cooked, to remove any stray egg pieces that may have cooked separately, as well as the lemon zest. This ensures a perfectly smooth and creamy filling.
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In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the granulated sugar and the lemon zest. I like to use my hands to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant. Whisk in the lemon juice and eggs.
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Cook the mixture on medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens into a pudding like consistency. If after 10 minutes the mixture has not thickened, turn up the heat slightly and keep going. When you run the whisk through the mixture, you should be able to see the bottom of the saucepan for a few seconds. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
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Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, a few tablespoons at a time until the filling is smooth. Immediately pour the filling through the sieve and into the heat proof bowl. Then pour the filling into the prepared tart shell. Allow the tart to cool to room temperature, and then transfer to the fridge. Allow to chill for 2-3 hours before serving, or make it the day before you’d like to serve it.
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To make the lavender whipped cream: In a medium bowl, whip the cream on high until medium peaks form. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and finely ground lavender.
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Top the tart by using a pipping back to top the tart with the whipped cream
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Serve immediately. Store any leftovers up to 2 days in the fridge.
Crust:
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1 teaspoon culinary lavender, ground finely
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1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
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1/3 cup powdered sugar
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2/3 cup salted butter, room temperature
Lemon Curd Filling:
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3/4 cup granulated sugar
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3 tablespoons zest (about 2-3 lemons)
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2/3 cup lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
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5 eggs
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1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature and cubed
Lavender Whipped Cream:
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1/2 teaspoon culinary lavender, ground finely
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1/2 cup whipping cream
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 tablespoon powdered sugar
