The perfect cross between a shortbread and butter cookie, these easy Lemon Lavender Cookies are ideal for Mother's Day, bridal showers, birthdays, or a much needed treat. Topped with a delicious lemon glaze, they are sure to become a favorite!
With Mother's Day only a few weeks away, I've been making my usual plans to bake for the special ladies in my life. I've been on a lemon lavender kick lately and was inspired to create a soft and buttery lemon shortbread cookie that I could come back to time and time again. After many taste tests, wink wink, I am thinking that these are a must for Mother's Day.
Let's make some!
P.S. If shortbread cookies aren't your thing, check out this Honey Lemon Loaf Cake or these Vanilla Lime Cupcakes!
Lemon Lavender Cookies: Frequently Asked Questions
Although most varieties of lavender can be used in cookies, some varieties do tend to work best. In this shortbread cookie recipe we use culinary lavender buds which have a sweet floral flavoring. They also contain notes of citrus making for a perfect choice when cooking or baking. I find mine at some of my favorite shops like Terrain or World Market.
Culinary lavender can be used in several different ways. For these Lemon Lavender Cookies, I mixed the lavender buds directly into the cookie dough. If you prefer, you could lightly grind the lavender buds with a mortar and pestle making them powder-like. I also love using the buds as a garnish!
Ingredients To Make These Soft Lemon Lavender Cookies
To make these cookies, you will need the following ingredients. See the full recipe card below for detailed amounts and instructions!
- Unsalted butter – The butter of choice for most baking and definitely for these butter cookies!
- Sugar – We will need granulated sugar for the cookies and powdered sugar for our delicious lemon glaze!
- Salt – Just a pinch to enhance the flavors.
- Vanilla and Lemon extract – Vanilla is a given for a cookie recipe, but the extra bit of lemon gives this cookie the perfect touch of citrus.
- Flour – All purpose flour is great for this recipe. My favorites are King Arthur and White Lilly, but any will do!
- Lemon Zest - Gives such a good pop to our dough, but be sure to save a bit for a pretty garnish on top of the glaze.
- Culinary Lavender Buds - This is my current favorite for baking!
How To Make Lemon Lavender Cookies
To make these cookies, simply:
- Make the batter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and lemon extract. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, lemon zest, and culinary lavender. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until it comes together as a ball of dough.
- Roll and cut the dough.
Roll out dough on a floured surface until ¼ inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes and place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake.
Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely.
- Make the fresh lemon glaze.
Once cookies have cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spoon over cookies and spread until fully covered. Let set before serving.
Tips for making the best Lemon Lavender cookies:
- Don’t over bake your cookies. You want to remove your cookies from the oven as soon as the edges are golden brown. The middle should remain a softer color.
- When cutting your cookies into shapes, dip the cookie cutter into a bowl of flour for the perfect cut.
- If you have trouble with your cookies keeping their shape when baking, pop your baking sheet with the cut cookies into the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking.
- Don't skip the lemon glaze!
- Garnish your cookies with lemon zest and lavender buds before serving.
More Citrus Recipes You'll Love!
- Honey Lemon Loaf Cake
- Grapefruit Tartlets
- Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake
- Lemon Honey Berry Tart
- Vanilla Lime Cupcakes
- Watermelon Salad with Lime
The BEST Lemon Lavender Cookies with a Lemon Glaze
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
The perfect cross between a shortbread and butter cookie, these easy Lemon Lavender Cookies are ideal for Mother's Day, bridal showers, birthdays, or a much needed treat. Topped with a delicious lemon glaze, they are sure to become a favorite!
Ingredients
COOKIES:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon culinary lavender
GLAZE:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Make the batter - In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and lemon extract. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, lemon zest, and culinary lavender. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until it comes together as a ball of dough.
- Roll and cut - Roll out dough on a floured surface until ¼ inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes and place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake - Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely.
- Make the glaze - Once cookies have cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spoon over cookies and spread until fully covered. Let set before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Cookies & Candy
Keywords: lemon lavender cookies
A special thank you to Yankee Candle for making this post possible! As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that make by LC possible!
I made these cookies for an afternoon tea my sister and I had planned (she loves lavender). Absolutely perfect and I wouldn't change a thing. So tricky to get the right amount of lavender, but you nailed it. Thanks!
Ah yay! I am SO glad you loved them! Thank you so much for your sweet comment 🙂
This is a charming cookie! Delicate and delicious. I made these for a special girl's 16th birthday. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Monika! Awe I am so happy you loved them. The perfect cookie for a girl's 16th birthday 🙂