Lavender Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Lemon buttercream frosting is sandwiched between two buttery lavender shortbread cookies to make these elegant Lavender Lemon Sandwich Cookies. Perfect on their own or paired with a lavender oat latte, these floral 6-ingredient cookies are sure to become a new favorite.
Servings: 24 Sandwich Cookies
Calories: 276kcal
Equipment
- Mortar & Pestle
- Cookie Cutter
Ingredients
Lavender Shortbread
- 1 Cup + 2.5 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
- 1 Cup + 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 Egg Yolk
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Culinary Lavender
- 2⅔ g All-Purpose Flour
Lemon Buttercream
- ½ Cup Egg Whites
- 1¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 ½ Cups Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1.5 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 Tbs Lemon Juice
- 3 Lemons zested
Instructions
Lavender Shortbread
- Combine all ingredients, other than your flour and lavender, in a food processor and pulse until smooth.1 Cup + 2.5 Tbsp Powdered Sugar , 1 Cup + 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter , 1 Egg Yolk , ½ tsp Salt
- Using a mortar and pestle, grind up the lavender buds ever so slightly and add them to your weighed-out flour.1 Tbsp Culinary Lavender
- Pour flour mixture into the food processor and pulse until the dough just comes together.2⅔ g All-Purpose Flour
- Separate the dough into two portions and shape into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and set in the fridge for about twenty minutes.
- Remove the disks from the fridge once they've slightly firmed. Taking two pieces of parchment paper, place one piece of parchment below the dough and one on top. Roll out your dough to ¼ inch and cut into circles using a cookie cutter.
- Freeze shortbread for at least 20 minutes until frozen, and preheat the oven to 330 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the cookies for 11 minutes, making sure that you take them out of the oven before you see and browning start to occur.
- Allow your cookies to cool on a cooling rack while you start the buttercream
Lemon Buttercream
- Add your sugar and egg whites to the bowl of your stand mixer and place over a saucepan of boiling water.½ Cup Egg Whites , 1¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- Make sure that your bowl is not touching the hot water! Your goal is to simply whisk the egg whites and sugar together until the sugar has completely dissolved, then attach your bowl back to the standing mixer - the temperature should reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Using the whisk attachment, whisk mixture starting at a low speed and gradually increase speed until medium peaks form - this should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Once you've developed medium peaks, switch to using a paddle attachment. Slowly, start adding your butter in half-inch cubes and continue mixing.1 ½ Cups Unsalted Butter
- When you've reached the point where the buttercream is glossy and smooth, turn the mixer speed back to low. Add the vanilla extract, zest and lemon juice and continue mixing until combined.1.5 Tsp Vanilla Extract, 3 Tbs Lemon Juice, 3 Lemons
- Pipe the buttercream in between two shortbread cookies and place in the fridge in an airtight container….then enjoy!
Notes
Frequently asked questions
- What’s the difference between regular buttercream and swiss meringue buttercream? Swiss meringue is made from butter, sugar, and egg whites whereas regular buttercream is made from butter, powdered sugar, and the flavor of your choice (like vanilla extract or raspberry sauce). I find that the texture of swiss meringue is incredibly smooth and velvety, and the flavor is not overly sweet. Regular buttercream, while still very smooth and creamy, has a heavier texture and is rich in flavor.
- Do you have to chill the cookie dough? Chilling the cookie dough in the fridge and flash freezing the cut cookies for 20 minutes in the freezer are both crucial steps. The cold temperature will help solidify all of the butter in the cookies and prevent them from spreading too much in the oven.
- Is lavender safe to eat? Most lavender is safe to eat. When adding lavender to your favorite recipes, you want to make sure that you’re using a food-grade variety. Some other types aren’t safe to eat or will leave your food with an overly perfumey flavor.
- Where can you buy food-safe lavender? Food-safe lavender can be purchased at many specialty grocery or health food stores and easily ordered online.
- How do you store sandwich cookies? Keep the assembled sandwich cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
- Can you freeze shortbread cookies? Yes! Freeze the raw, cut cookies on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a sealed ziplock bag and freeze. You could also roll the cookie dough into a log, wrap it in plastic, and freeze. Whenever you’re craving lavender shortbread, just slice a few rounds off the log and bake!
Nutrition
Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 646IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
