Lavender Shortbread (Two Ways)

I love buttery, crumbly, sugary shortbread so much - it seems to be one of those simple treats that I crave so often and, when I do, this recipe is my go to.

I was given this recipe a few years ago by someone in my family, when I was on a mission to find the perfect shortbread recipe. When I asked if I could publish it on my blog, I was told it had originally come from, and I quote, ‘an old Scottish woman’. So, credit, where credit is due, thanks to the old Scottish woman for this fail-safe recipe that I know I’ll continue to use time and time again.

The basic shortbread recipe (flour, cornflour, icing sugar and butter) as it stands, is perfect but what I love about this recipe is that it’s so versatile - you could add different flavours and ingredients such as chocolate, lemon or even nuts and it would still work perfectly.

My absolute favourite shortbread though, is lavender. You certainly don’t need much but it adds a really delicate floral flavour that just works so well with these light biscuits.

I have included two recipes below (mainly because I couldn’t decide which ones to share). The first recipe is for sweet lavender kisses filled with chocolate buttercream and the second is a recipe for lavender shortbread fingers with chocolate chunks.

You should be able to pick up dried lavender fairly easily in the supermarket - it's usually with the dried herbs and spices but, if not, you can always find it online. 

What you need:

For the lavender kisses:
226g plain flour
85g cornflour
85g icing sugar
226g unsalted butter
1tsp dried lavender
4tbsp caster sugar

For the lavender kisses buttercream:
40g unsalted butter
40g cocoa powder
250g icing sugar
2-4 tbsp milk

For the chocolate chunk lavender fingers:
226g plain flour
85g cornflour
85g icing sugar
226g unsalted butter
100g dark chocolate
1tsp dried lavender
4tbsp caster sugar

What you need to do:

For the lavender kisses:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a food processor until fully combined
2. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and lightly knead until smooth
3. Dust the work surface lightly with flour; then roll the dough out and cut into circles (approx. 6cm diameter)
4. Place the biscuits on a baking tray lined with baking paper then place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes
5. Bake at 180°C for 15 – 20 minutes then remove and leave to cool slightly
6. Pour the caster sugar onto a small place then dip the cookies into the sugar one by one until covered

For the lavender kisses buttercream:

1. Place the butter in a freestanding mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand held whisk) and mix until soft and light
2. Add the cocoa powder and combine then gradually add the icing sugar
3. Add the milk at the end and continue to mix until fully incorporated - add a little more if necessary
4. Place the buttercream into a large piping bag, attached with a large nozzle and pipe half of the biscuits
5. Sandwich together with the remaining half and sprinkle with a little bit more lavender

For the chocolate chunk lavender fingers:

1. Mix all of the ingredients (apart from the chocolate) together in a food processor until fully combined then stir in the chocolate
2. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and lightly knead until smooth
3. Dust the work surface lightly with flour; then roll the dough out and cut into fingers using a rectangular cookie cutter (or a round cutter if you don’t have one)
4. Place the biscuits on a baking tray lined with baking paper then place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes
5. Bake at 180°C for 15 – 20 minutes then remove and leave to cool slightly
6. Pour the caster sugar onto a small place then dip the cookies into the sugar one by one until covered and enjoy!