Recipe by Alison Attenborough, Food & Wine Magazine
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender blossoms, chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (yellow part only)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl, mix the sugar with the chopped lavender and grated lemon zest. Using a handheld electric mixer beat in the butter at moderate speed. At low speed, beat in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Form the dough into a 4-inch log and chill for at least 45 minutes longer.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the shortbread dough into ¼-inchthick rounds and place the rounds on ungreased baking sheets. Freeze the rounds for 10 minutes.
Bake the shortbread for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer the baked shortbread to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 1½ dozen cookies.
KIM PIERCE is a Dallas freelance writer and editor who’s covered farmers markets and the locavore scene for some 30 years, including continuing coverage at The Dallas Morning News. She came by this passion writing about food, health, nutrition and wine. She and her partner nurture a backyard garden (no chickens – yet) and support local producers and those who grow foods sustainably. Back in the day, she co-authored The Phytopia Cookbook and more recently helped a team of writers win a 2014 International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Award for The Oxford Encyclopedia for Food and Drink in America.
