Im Borrowing: Lemon Lavender Shortbread

~ ~

So the other week, my wife (seen at her badass foodie blog here) directed me to one of her old classmates' new endeavours. I explored, thinking it would be good, but wow, this one is a winner. Yummybooks blends her love of lit with that inner push that finds us crazy bakers in front of the oven with hot oven rack marks left all over are forearms.... or is that just me? She gives you a preview for what might be your next classics read and what for sure will be accompanying your side (and tastebuds) during the adventure. The featured recipe was inspired by the Secret Garden...which I think inspires some of my daily day to day life.


I chose to borrow Yummybooks lemon lavender shortbread mostly because they looked delicious, but it didn't hurt that we welcomed a new lavender plant to the garden the other day. And I must agree with this baker... use fresh. use fresh. use fresh lavender. The plant is beautiful and smells wondrous... not to mention it will withstand the sweltering hot California Valley heat that (knock wood) seems to have forgotten us this year. And of course it didn't hurt when I read she topped her cookies with sea salt. I love salt. Especially from the sea.



I thought I had my favorite shortbread recipe. This one, fairly thin and so flaky, is quite the contender. It will be served alongside peaches and vanilla ice cream for a dinner party tonight to make somewhat of a deconstructed peach pie. So fresh, so delicious.

Thank you so much Yummybooks for a new read in your blog and this delicious idea for a recipe. Profitez le weekend tout le monde!



Lemon Lavender Shortbread
adapted from Yummybooks


I tweeked this recipe a bit here and there, but the delicious idea remains the same. My best results turned when I refrigerated the cookies on the pan right before popping them in the oven and with a bit of whole wheat pastry flour for a nice crumb.




8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup cane sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon fresh lavender

zest of one lemon

sea salt to finish

Start by beating up your butter and cane sugar nice and well. Sift together the salt, flours, and powdered sugar. Once the butter/sugar is beat up for a couple minutes go ahead and slowly add your dry mixture as well as the lemon zest and lavender. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the goodness. It should come together into a ball. Refridge for 2 hours or so.

Once your dough is nice and chilly lightly flour a rolling surface. Set oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough so it is about 1/4 inch thick and cut out whatever shapes you desire. I stuck with the inspired design because I thought they looked nice and will work well with the peach pie sundaes I am adding them to. Place them on a baking sheet and sprinkle (just a tad!) of sea salt. They bake for about 10 minutes or until just golden brown. Let cool on a rack and they will firm up and be delicious.




Music Pairing


Audiobook of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Its not music, but its sound. Might as well dive back into the classics with a shortbread in hand.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love it!!

Post a Comment

 
© 2009 - Le Brunch Club
IniMinimalisKah is proudly powered by Blogger