It is SO. HOT. Seriously. Where I am, we straight up skipped spring and went directly to summer. It’s always in the 80’s these days, sometimes even in the 90’s. And, as you may know by now, I hate the heat. Summer is very un-enjoyable for me, and I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s the unbearable humidity and heavy heat, or the lack of schedule in every day, or the swarms of bugs. I know I sound very dramatic, but I just don’t like summer.
However, I will say that spring and summer bring great things to the kitchen. In the world of savory cooking, you’ve got juicy tomatoes, refreshing basil, and creamy burrata cheese. And I love cooking with fresh herbs, fruit, and berries. Not to mention the florals! I just adore cooking with florals, they always feel so fancy.
So while I may be grumpy due to high temperatures, at least I can be grumpy with a mouth full of springy cookies. These lavender cookies to be specific.
Man I love these. They’re just so cute! They’re perfect for a springy tea party or brunch. The little lavender shortbread cookies are perfectly buttery and crisp, and go hand in hand with the tart lemon curd and sweet blackberry jam.
Describe these Cookies to me
Taste: These have a few flavors going on. There’s a nice lavender flavor, but it doesn’t taste like soap. It sort of melts into the buttery taste of the cookie, creating a whole new taste of its own. Then we’ve got a tart lemon curd to serve as a springy contrast to that buttery floral flavor. And finally, we’ve got a touch of sweetness from the blackberry jam, creating the perfect balance.
Texture: The cookie itself has a buttery, almost creamy texture on the inside, and a crunchy caramelized texture on the outside. The lemon curd is slightly creamy, and a little thicker than some so that it doesn’t squish out of the sides of the cookie. And lastly, the blackberry jam adds a fruity sweet aspect to the cookies.
Ease: This cookie is the same as my Rosemary Cookies , but with lavender instead of rosemary. It’s a simple process to make the cookie, and with only a handful of ingredients. The lemon curd can be a little bit tricky because we are tempering eggs, but it won’t take too long. And finally, the assembly is pretty simple, there’s not much of a complicated technique to it.
The Cookie
As I said earlier, this is the same cookie as my rosemary cookies, but with lavender. It’s honestly hard to believe how simple it is. It’s only butter, sugar, lavender, salt, flour, vanilla, and just a touch of lemon zest. It’s kinda crazy. No leavening agents and no eggs. The simplicity of the dough gives the cookies a distinct buttery flavor, and creamy texture. All you have to do is mix up those ingredients, roll and cut, freeze for a few minutes, and bake. I top them with an egg white and some leftover lemon-lavender sugar to give them a lovely caramelized crunch. It’s these little things that make these so great.
What is Lemon Curd?
In between these awesome cookies, we’ve got a thick layer of lemon curd. So what is this stuff anyway? Lemon curd is made from eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice, and butter. We just barely cook the eggs over a double boiler to give us a smooth and rich sauce. It’s tart, but also sweet and buttery. Traditionally, lemon curd is made with only egg yolks. However, I wanted a thicker curd so that it wouldn’t sploosh out of the sides of the cookie, so we use 2 egg yolks plus one whole egg. This thickens it up a tad, but doesn’t change the flavor. Lemon curd can be a touch tricky because, similar to custard, we want to just barely cook the eggs but not scramble them. To ensure that they don’t scramble, make sure you are constantly whisking and the temperature doesn’t get too high.
Can I Use Other Kinds of Jam?
Of course! I love the flavor combo of lavender and blackberry, and I think that the tart lemon adds a great touch. But you can trade the blackberry for whatever jam you like. Raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, or mixed berry could all be great!
Lavender Flavor Profile
Lavender is a purple flower that is used for many things. Its soothing scent is often used in candles or perfumes, and its pretty pastel purple color is present in all sorts of bouquets and gardens. This awesome flower also happens to taste as good as it smells. However, as delicious as it is, it can be a little difficult. It’s hard to get a nice lavender flavor without making the cookie taste like soap. Because of this we only use a little, but here’s a useful tip: when using lavender, I always mush it up in a mortar and pestle before adding it to the cookie. This releases the oils that contain all of the flavor, making it easier to taste. Additionally, it can be hard to get your hands on dried culinary lavender. It’s usually a little more pricey, but let me assure you these cookies are so freaking good, that it’s worth it.
Lavender Cookies with Lemon Curd and Blackberry Jam
Ingredients
Method
- Fill a medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water. Place a large heatproof bowl on top (you may also use a double boiler for this) Let it come to a boil on medium high heat, then reduce to low and allow it to come to a simmer.
- Add the egg, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to the top bowl. Using a silicon whisk (metal whisks can sometimes leave behind a metallic flavor), mix together. Cook for 10 minutes, whisking constantly. Whisking the whole time helps prevent the eggs from curdling. The mixture will thicken, and will resemble the consistency of Hollandaise sauce. If the mixture is not thickening, turn up the heat, making sure you are still constantly whisking.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and immediately whisk in the 6 pieces of butter. The remaining heat of the curd will melt the butter. Pour the finished curd into a glass jar or bowl. Cover the top of the curd with cling wrap, making sure the cling wrap is touching the surface of the curd. This prevents a skin from forming as the curd cools. Chill for at least 2 hours, it will thicken during this time.
- In a mortar and pestle, mash up the dried culinary lavender. Doing this is optional, but highly recommended as it releases more lavender flavor.
- In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, lemon zest, and the mashed up lavender. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, vanilla, and ⅔ cup of the sugar mixture (save the rest for later!) on medium speed. Beat for at least 2 minutes, or until completely smooth and fluffy. Add the flour, and salt. Beat on low speed until the dough begins to form a crumbly ball. It may look as though it will not come together, but just keep mixing and it will. If not, add a Tablespoon of water. Pour the crumbly dough onto a floured work surface.
- Using floured hands, press the dough into a ball and then roll it out to roughly ¼ inch thickness. The shape doesn't matter. Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can, re-rolling the scraps until you are out of dough. I cut smaller holes out of the centers of half of the cookies, linzer style, but this is completely optional. Place the cut out cookies on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Place in the freezer and freeze for 10 minutes, or until set up.
- While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 325°F. Remove the chilled cookies from the freezer and brush the tops with the egg white using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the tops are lightly brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies have cooled and the lemon curd has chilled and thickened in the fridge, assemble the cookies. Spread a thin layer of the lemon curd on the bottom of a cookie. I recommend using a piping bag for this, but a spoon will work as well. Once half of the cookies have the lemon curd, chill them for about 10 minutes. This helps the curd stay on the cookie a little better. Once chilled, spread a layer of blackberry jam on top of the curd layer, it’s ok if they swirl together a little bit. Top with the remaining plain cookies to create a sandwich. Chill the cookies for at least an hour before eating.
- Cookies stay fresh in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days.
Great Post! I’mwith you. Summer is way overrated!