These Lemon Lavender Cookies will brighten up your day with their lightly sweet and lemony flavor paired with a relaxing hint of lavender. Easy to make in advance too!
Shortbread cookies are so easy to make, and completely delicious too. Once you’ve tried this version, why not check out our Strawberry Shortbread Cookies and our Cacao Nib Hazelnut Cookies?
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Why Make This Recipe
- Great Flavor: Lemon and lavender are a beautiful flavor combination.
- So Easy to Make: Make the batter then just chill, slice, and bake!
- Shelf Life Winners: These lemon lavender shortbread cookies stay fresh for up to a week in an airtight container.
🥗 Ingredients
- Butter: We always recommend unsalted butter in baking recipes, so you can control the salt content. If you use salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to ⅛ teaspoon.
- Sugar: We used granulated sugar for this recipe, but feel free to test with a sugar substitute.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice and zest can’t be beat in terms of flavor. But pairing lavender with other citrus will also work: try a Meyer lemon, orange, or grapefruit instead.
- Dried Lavender: You can sometimes find this in the spice section of your grocery store. You can also purchase dried culinary lavender online from Amazon. Just make sure you are using lavender that is safe to eat!
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Cream together 10 tablespoons softened butter (at room temperature), ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.
(Use either a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl, or combine in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.)
Stir together dry ingredients: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour and ¾ teaspoon dried lavender in a small bowl. Then add to large bowl and mix at low speed just until combined.
Scrape the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper, and use your hands to form the dough into a log that is 1 ½ inches in diameter.
Wrap the log in the parchment paper, then twist both sides to close tightly.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, and preferably 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut into slices slightly thinner than ½-inch.
Place shortbread slices on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, with an inch or two of space between cookies.
Bake for 12-13 minutes, until just golden brown on the edges.
Let cool for 1-2 minutes on the cookie sheet, before moving the cookies onto a wire rack.
Let cool completely before storing. Cookies will keep for up to a week stored in an airtight container.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Lemon Lavender Cookies
Yes, you can make the dough up to 3 days before using (keep in the refrigerator). Or freeze the parchment-wrapped cookie dough logs for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before slicing and baking. And, note that these cookies taste great for days after you bake them!
Yes, you should always chill shortbread dough before baking. You will find that your cookies will spread if you bake them right after forming the dough logs. Also, you won’t be able to cut as perfect circles when you slice the log if you haven’t chilled it first.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Lavender can be a tricky ingredient to bake with. Add too much, and you can end up with a soapy flavor. Add too little, and you won’t taste any of the delicate lavender flavor.
Try with the amount recommended, and then adjust to your preference in the future. You can also add some lavender extract for extra flavor. If you're hooked, try our Lavender Simple Syrup next—it makes amazing cocktails and mocktails! And try these delicious Earl Grey Cupcakes that feature a lavender buttercream.
These tender cookies are the perfect pairing for a cup of tea or a glass of Lavender Lemonade. Lovely for an afternoon tea or bridal shower!
If you want to bake all your cookie dough at once, you’ll need two cookie sheets. Put one on the top oven rack and one on the bottom, then switch halfway through baking. Rotate the sheets back to front when you switch their positions.
Need a recommendation for the best knife to slice shortbread cookies? We prefer a large serrated knife, like a bread knife. The one we use is the Victorinox Swiss Army Bread Knife.
Love lemon desserts? Same here. Try these Lemon Shortbread Cookies with a gorgeous sparkling sugar edge or these chewy Lemon White Chocolate Cookies. Or double down on the fruit with these Lemon Blueberry Cornmeal Cookies. And if you are obsessed with the Starbucks version as much as my daughter is, try this Lemon Loaf recipe!
Other Delicious Cookie Recipes
Love cookies like we do? So many recipes, so little time! Try these Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies for a taste of Fall. Or try one of these favorites:
If you’re interested in checking out some gluten-free options, you may want to see our Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies and Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies recipes as well.
If you try this easy Lemon Lavender Cookie recipe, we would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to us.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter. We’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Lemon Lavender Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (140 grams)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon dried lavender
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (180 grams)
Instructions
- Cream together butter, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and vanilla until smooth using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add the flour and lavender, and continue to mix just until combined.
- Scrape the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper, and use your hands to form the dough into a log that is 1 ½ inches in diameter.
- Wrap the log in the parchment paper, then twist both sides to close tightly.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, and preferably 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut cookie dough log into slices slightly thinner than ½-inch.
- Place shortbread slices on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, with an inch or two of space between cookies.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes, until just golden brown on the edges.
- Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 2 minutes, before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Lavender can be a tricky ingredient to bake with. Add too much, and you can end up with a soapy flavor. Add too little, and you won’t taste any of the delicate lavender flavor. Try with the amount recommended, and then adjust to your preference in the future. You can also add some lavender extract for extra flavor. If you want to bake all your cookie dough at once, you’ll need two cookie sheets. Put one on the top oven rack and one on the bottom, then switch halfway through baking. Rotate the sheets back to front when you switch their positions. You can make the dough up to 3 days before using (keep in the refrigerator). Or freeze the parchment-wrapped cookie dough logs for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before slicing and baking. Storage Tips:
These cookies will stay fresh for up to a week after you bake them (store in an airtight container).
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this Lemon Shortbread Cookie recipe, tag us @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because we’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Helen says
These are absolutely delightful! Instantly added to my go-to cookie recipes. Looking forward to gifting these and eating them on many occasions in the future. Perfect balance of flavours. Lovely crispy texture with a slight chew in the centre. Superb. Thank you.