You can never go wrong with classic cookies like chocolate chip pecan cookies or Nova Scotia oatcakes, but sometimes it’s fun to play with flavors! These lavender sugar cookies are buttery, fragrant, and crisp, with a slight chew thanks to a touch of light corn syrup.
I originally shared these lavender cookies topped with an Earl Grey glaze. These days I actually prefer them without icing, however, I’ve included the original Earl Grey glaze recipe here down below. I recommend trying the cookies both ways to decide which is your favorite.
Please note that I use culinary-grade lavender in this recipe. Culinary-grade lavender is specifically cultivated for food use and is free of any pesticides or chemicals that could be harmful if ingested. Lavender that is not labeled as culinary-grade may have been treated with pesticides or other chemicals, or, may be too bitter or astringent for use in cooking and baking.
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💞 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ Lavender adds a unique, floral flavor that feels elegant.
✔️ The scent of lavender is naturally calming.
✔️ This is a one-bowl recipe that yields perfectly shaped cutout cookies.
📋 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Culinary-Grade Dried Lavender Buds—These are specifically cultivated lavender buds for cooking and baking. They have a more subtle flavor than other varieties of lavender and provide a delicate floral taste to the cookies.
- Light Corn Syrup—Corn syrup helps to keep the cookies slightly soft and chewy, and also adds a touch of sweetness.
It’s important to note that when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavor may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options if you are looking to change the original recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Culinary-Grade Dried Lavender Buds—If you can’t find culinary-grade lavender, you can try using lavender extract or culinary-grade lavender oil. You can also substitute dried rose petals or other dried edible flowers for a different floral taste.
- Whole Milk—You can substitute other types of milk, such as almond milk or soy milk.
- Light Corn Syrup—You can try substituting honey, golden syrup, or agave nectar, however, I have not tested this.
- Vanilla Extract—You can use other extracts, such as almond or coconut extract, or you can omit the extract altogether.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
👩🍳 How To Make Lavender Sugar Cookies
STEP 1—Place the lavender buds and some of the measured sugar into a mortar.
STEP 2—Use a pestle to grind the two together to a fine powder (see recipe notes).
STEP 3—Cream the lavender sugar with the remaining sugar and butter.
STEP 4—Add the egg, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla and mix.
STEP 5—Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
STEP 6—Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon to stir the wet and dry ingredients into a soft dough. You may need to finish the dough with your hands to incorporate the last dry bits of flour. Form the dough into a flat disc shape, wrap it in plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge for a minimum of one hour.
STEP 7—Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half with a rolling pin and cut out shapes. Store the shapes in the freezer for 20 minutes while the oven preheats.
STEP 8—Bake the cookie cut-outs until the edges and bottoms are pale gold. Transfer the lavender sugar cookies to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Repeat until all of the dough is gone.
🗣 Expert Tips
1. For added brightness, try adding finely grated lemon zest to the butter when creaming.
2. Chilling the cookie dough for at least an hour gives the flavors time to meld together.
3. To prevent sticking, dip the edges of the cookie cutter in flour before cutting out the dough.
📝 Recipe Notes
- While this recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of dried lavender buds, you can adjust the amount to suit your personal taste.
- If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, you can make a larger batch of lavender sugar in a food processor.
- I used a 2-inch (5-cm) round cookie cutter with scalloped edges for this recipe. You can use any size or shape of cookie cutter you like, however, the baking time may change.
- Allow the lavender tea cookies to cool completely before storing them, as they will continue to firm up as they cool. I find unglazed cookies seem crisper the day after baking. Glazed cookies tend to stay chewier because of the extra moisture.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to three months. To thaw frozen cookies, let them come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
🫖 How To Make Earl Grey Glaze
I originally wrote this recipe with an Earl Grey glaze for dipping the tops of the cookies. Earl Grey tea is a gorgeous pairing with these lavender-infused cookies! If you’d like to try it, here is the recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Earl Grey tea leaves
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, also called icing or confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup, also called clear corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla, clear if you have it
- 4 to 5 teaspoons whole milk
Instructions
- Grind the tea leaves to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. Add the ground tea to a small-medium mixing bowl. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl. Stir in the corn syrup, vanilla, and ½ teaspoon of milk. Continue to add milk by the ½ teaspoon, stirring well between each addition, until the glaze is quite thick, but still drips similar to the consistency of honey.
- Pour the icing into a shallow bowl. Hold a cookie upside down by its edges and lay it on top of the glaze. Lift the cookie straight up before it sinks then let the glaze drip straight down back onto the plate. Once the drips have slowed down, quickly flip the cookie right side up, and lay it on a wire rack. Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles before the glaze sets. Let the lavender sugar cookies sit for one hour, and up to overnight for the glaze to harden.
🙋♀️ Recipe FAQ
Sugar cookies are made with butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, and leavening agents such as baking powder or baking soda. Shortbread cookies, on the other hand, are made with only a few simple ingredients: butter, sugar, and flour. They do not typically contain eggs or leavening agents. Sugar cookies are soft and tender, with a slightly chewy texture. Shortbread cookies, on the other hand, are crumbly and have a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Lavender is a versatile ingredient that can be paired with a variety of flavors to create unique recipes. Try pairing lavender with lemon, honey, vanilla, berries, Earl grey tea, thyme, or even sea salt. A little of any of them will heighten the beauty of this fragrant botanical.
Culinary-grade lavender is specifically cultivated for cooking and baking and is free of any pesticides or chemicals that could be harmful if ingested. Culinary-grade lavender is typically grown in fields that are specifically designated for culinary use and is harvested at the peak of its flavor and aroma.
Did you make these lavender sugar cookies? Please rate the recipe and tell me how it went in the comments below. Also, stay in touch with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more delicious food and recipes!
🖨 Recipe
Lavender Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Mortar and pestle or small capacity food processor
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand or stand mixer
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Rolling Pin
- 2-inch (5-cm) round cookie cutter or other cookie cutters (see notes)
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds, culinary grade
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup butter, room temperature to soft
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup, also called clear or white corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make The Cookie Dough
- Using a mortar and pestle, grind the lavender buds to a fine powder with 1 tablespoon of the measured sugar. Combine the lavender sugar, remaining sugar, and butter in a mixing bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer to cream the butter on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until pale and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the egg, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Continue to mix on high speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon. Fold the wet and dry ingredients until a soft dough forms, about 2 minutes. You can finish mixing with your hands to incorporate any dry bits of flour.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap on a work surface. Place the dough on the plastic. Use your hands to shape it into a round disc, about 1-inch (2 ½-cm) thick. Wrap the dough in the plastic and chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
Bake The Cookies
- Unwrap the chilled dough and cut it in half. Re-wrap one half and return it to the fridge. Place the other half on a work surface that's been lightly dusted with flour. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 3 to 5 minutes to soften slightly. Dust the top of the dough and the rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough approximately ¼-inch (½-cm) thick. Cut the dough using a 2-inch (5-cm) round cookie cutter, or another cookie cutter of your choice (see notes). Re-roll any leftover dough until all of the dough is gone, including the second half of the dough in the fridge. Place the cookie cut-outs in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a standard baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer 12 of the frozen cookie cutouts to the sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until pale gold around the edges and on the bottoms. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the sheet and place them directly on the wire rack to cool completely. Repeat until all of the cookies are baked.
Notes
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- While this recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of dried lavender buds, you can adjust the amount to suit your personal taste.
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- If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, you can make a larger batch of lavender sugar in a food processor.
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- I used a 2-inch (5-cm) round cookie cutter with scalloped edges for this recipe. You can use any size or shape of cookie cutter you like, however, the baking time may change.
-
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing them, as they will continue to firm up as they cool. I find unglazed cookies seem crisper the day after baking. Glazed cookies tend to stay chewier because of the extra moisture.
-
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to three months. To thaw frozen cookies, let them come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
Kayla Foyt says
This is amazing, im going to try to make them. How nessesary is it that I get food grade lavender? I have some lavender buds I dried myself, other than it not being specifically food safe do you forsee any problems with using that?
Kelly says
I don’t think there’s really a huge difference, other than some people say some varieties taste better is all. I would definitely trust any lavender I’ve grown myself! I hope you love them!
Marilyn Howcroft says
Literally the best cookies I’ve ever made. The lavender combined with the earl grey icing was perfect. I tinted the frosting a lavender color and added purple sprinkles for Easter. Thank you!