Name: Meyer lemon lavender shortbread Recipe
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes 20 cookies
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon dried lavender; 1/3 cup sugar; Finely grated zest from one to two Meyer lemons (approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons); 1 cup (4.25 ounces) flour; Pinch salt; 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut in ½-inch cubes; 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Print RecipePrint Recipe

By Noelle Carter

and Deb Love

Dec. 20, 2013

This Meyer lemon lavender shortbread was one of the 10 winners of the L.A. Times fourth annual Holiday Cookie Bake-Off.

“My neighbor had an overflowing Meyer lemon tree and would leave bags of lemons on my porch. What to do with all those lemons? Meyer lemon lavender shortbread cookies! The perfect combination of sweet, tart and savory.” — Deb Love

From the story: The top 10: Our favorite holiday cookies for 2013

Read More Read Less

1 teaspoon dried lavender

⅓ cup sugar

Finely grated zest from one to two Meyer lemons (approximately 1 ½ teaspoons)

1 cup (4.25 ounces) flour

Pinch salt

½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut in ½-inch cubes

1 to 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

With a food processor running, drop the lavender through the tube. Add sugar and lemon zest, and pulse until combined, then add flour and salt and pulse.

Add butter and pulse until just incorporated. Continue pulsing while adding the lemon juice through the tube, just until dough forms a ball.

Roll the ball into a log about 10 inches long, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour. (Dough can be frozen for up to 1 month — slightly thaw before cutting and baking.)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the log crosswise into one-half-inch slices and arrange on an ungreased baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies on a rack.