Lavender Shortbread Cookies with a pinch of Sea Salt and a refreshing Grapefruit Icing are classically simple, fragrant treats that you will want to make time and time again.  

Put a spring in your step with these delightful Lavender Sea Salt Shortbread Cookies!

I’m just gonna come out and say that I basically ate whatever I felt like all month long (and for the record, I’m so okay with it).

Sometimes it was a smoothie bowl loaded with healthy AF superfoods, sometimes it was a donut.

And a couple of times it was these Lavender Shortbread Cookies, which were pretty much the highlight of my month.

Not much else happened.

One thing that did happen though: I catered a fancy tea party for one of my sweetest clients, Carole, and put these lavender shortbread cookies on the menu.

They were of course a hit, I mean, what better thing to pair with a cup of tea than lavender and shortbread!

 Only five ingredients are required to make these Lavender Sea Salt Shortbread Cookies:

• lavender
• sea salt
• flour
• butter
• sugar

The calming lavender in these buttery shortbread cookies is a lovely surprise, but sprinkling them with flaky sea salt accentuates those flavors and makes these cookies seriously legit.

But if you really want to take these Lavender Sea Salt cookies to over the-top yummy heights, here’s what you should do: make an equally ridiculously simple grapefruit icing to go on top.

Just two more ingredients- freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and powdered sugar- are all you need to add a little extra zing to these already delicious lavender shortbread cookies.

Tips for baking with lavender:

• When baking with lavender,  you must use culinary lavender which you can find at tea or spice shops, specialty food store or online.
• A little lavender goes a long way and too much makes the cookies taste soapy. Start with a little when making the first batch and add more if needed.
• We always want to grind up the dried lavender to make sure we don’t have big chunks of lavender in the cookie. It also helps the lavender flavor disperse throughout the shortbread dough.
• You can grind your lavender with a little sugar and some lemon zest before adding to any dough. I think you’ll really love the way the dried lavender pairs with the bright citrus note.
• Dried lavender is something that you can purchase and keep in your spice rack for years. So don’t hesitate next time you see it for sale.

How to make the best shortbread cookies:

• The dough will need to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. As an additional step, you can pop the lavender cookies in the freezer for about 15 minutes after you cut the dough into shapes. The chilling will help so the shortbread cookies won’t spread while baking.
• This is a cookie recipe where I recommend you splurge on some grass-fed European butter. It is really essential for the flavor of the cookies, and the cheap butter does not have much flavor.
• Shortbread doesn’t spread too much when baking so you can place the lavender shortbread pretty close together on the tray.
• I recommend baking your shortbread on parchment paper or a silicone mat. Not that much because of sticking, but because the bottoms of the cookies might brown too much.
• You will know the shortbread cookies are done when they’re slightly golden brown on the edges. Once out of the oven, wait around 5 minutes before trying to move them.

How to store shortbread cookies:

Once the lavender shortbread cookies have cooled completely, pack them into airtight cookie tins or containers, and store it at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

Thanks for reading Le Petit Eats! To keep up with my kitchen escapades, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. If you make these Lavender Sea Salt Shortbread Cookies, don’t forget to share it using #LePetitEats!

5 from 2 votes

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Lavender and Sea Salt Shortbread Cookies

Lavender Sea Salt Shortbread Cookies are classically simple, fragrant treats that you will want to make time and time again.  

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword cookies with lavender, lavender shortbread cookie recipe, shortbread with lavender

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Chilling time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 2 dozen

Calories 100 kcal

Author Denisse

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch of coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon dried lavender culinary lavender
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 -4 tablespoons grapefruit juice
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Maldon or other flaky sea salt for garnish

Instructions

1. Whisk together flour and sea salt in a small bow. Set aside.

2. Grind together lavender and sugar with a mortar and pestle or an electric spice grinder (coffee grinders work great for this also, just make sure to clean it out thoroughly first).

3. Add butter and ground lavender mixture to the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually add in flour, mixing until the dough just comes together. Transfer dough to a clean surface, divide in half and form into two balls. Wrap dough balls in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each dough ball out to a 1/4-inch thickness. Use a heart-shaped or 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to cut cookies. Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheets. 

5. When the oven is preheated, bake cookies for 8 -10 minutes, until just browned around the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Whisk together grapefruit juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Add more grapefruit juice if necessary to thin out the icing. Spread icing onto cooled cookies and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Recipe Notes

The dough will need to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. As an additional step, you can pop the lavender cookies in the freezer for about 15 minutes after you cut the dough into shapes. The chilling will help so the shortbread cookies won’t spread while baking.This is a cookie recipe where I recommend you splurge on some grass-fed European butter. It is really essential for the flavor of the cookies, and the cheap butter does not have much flavor.Shortbread doesn’t spread too much when baking so you can place the lavender shortbread pretty close together on the tray. I recommend baking your shortbread on parchment paper or a silicone mat. Not that much because of sticking, but because the bottoms of the cookies might brown too much. You will know the shortbread cookies are done when they’re slightly golden brown on the edges. Once out of the oven, wait around 5 minutes before trying to move them.