Ilene's Lovely Lavender Shortbread Cookies

[K8memphis]

Ilene's Lovely Lavender Shortbread Cookies

I started with a recipe from Ursula Argyropoulos, a pastry chef at Raphael Bar-Bistro in Providence and owner of Art of the Cake which I found online. She might shudder at my process, but this ingredient list started with her, right after the lavender.

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You will have a choice of three different ways to finish the cookies.

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Mix by hand, hand mixer or in a stand mixer.

3 teaspoons dried lavender

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar.........Place in blender with lavender and take it for a whirl, set aside

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In a bowl or mixer bowl combine:

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3/4 cup softened butter

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla .....mix well with sugar & butter

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then

4 egg yolks.....add and combine well

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then

Add the lavender sugar mixture and combine well

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2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt.....add with flour and mix just till combined

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Now I roll mine out 3/8's of an inch thick and cut out little mini stars with a 1.25 inch star cookie cutter. You can of course use any shape cutter. Sprinkle and press sugar on the tops before baking if you are using choice one of the three choices for finishing the cookies. I do refrigerate the dough before baking. They spread not at all on the ungreased baking sheet. 375 degrees 12 to 14 mins just until the ones on the outside of the pan are slightly getting brown.

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Three choices for finishing the cookies:

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Choice #1) Before baking sprinkle cookie tops with sugar crystals and press gently.

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Choice #2) Sprinkle cookies immediately out of the oven with edible glitter. After cooling dip the bottoms in a thin layer of white chocolate.

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Choice #3) Make a glaze of confectioner's sugar and water, place in a decorating bag with a small tip (I use parchment and cut the tip) and immediately out of the oven I zig zag them with glaze then hit 'em with edible glitter right away before the glaze sets up.

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I love these cookies. An egullet buddy sent me the lavendar and that makes them all the more special. I had never heard of such a thing before.

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Notes: You can cut the lavendar to two teaspoons. This 2 tsp. formulation means you eat the cookie then the lavender flavor comes up in your mouth as a pleasant after taste almost. Using three teaspoons makes the lavendar a bit more pronounced. These are gentle flavors which is why the white chocolate should not be too thick. Adding too much lavendar will result in the product tasting soapy I'm told.

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You will have little lavender tid bits in the stars--way cool!

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Enjoy!!

Keywords: Easy, Snack, Cookie, Blender

( RG1801 )