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These airy lemon lavender sandwich cookies blend zesty citrus with gentle floral hints for a fancy tea-time snack. The soft, buttery cookies work perfectly with the rich lavender buttercream inside, making a grown-up flavor combo that's both zingy and soothing.
I whipped these up for a backyard get-together and they were gone in minutes—faster than any other sweet on the table. The lemon-lavender mix has become my go-to baking trademark, and my family bugs me to bring these cookies to every gathering now.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour: Gives these soft cookies their just-right structure
- Lemon zest: Go for organic lemons for the brightest, tangiest kick
- Culinary lavender: Grab only the edible kind of buds for your filling
- Unsalted butter: Lets you add just the right amount of salt to cookies and cream
- Heavy cream: Makes your buttercream super smooth and dreamy
- Vanilla extract: Smooths out the flowery and citrus flavors
- Granulated sugar: For cookies, while powdered sugar in the filling creates different feels
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat Your Oven:
- Turn your oven to 350°F and line your cookie sheets with parchment. A fully heated oven makes sure your cookies bake evenly without spreading too much. I always wait at least 15 minutes for my oven to get hot enough before I put these delicate treats in.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients:
- Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl until they're all mixed up. This spreads the rising agent all through the flour so your cookies puff up the same all over. I run these through a sifter to get super light cookies.
- Cream the Butter and Sugar:
- Whip soft butter with sugar until it turns pale and fluffy. This puts air bubbles in your mix, making the cookies tender. Then mix in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until everything looks smooth and blended.
- Combine the Mixtures:
- Slowly add your dry stuff to the wet stuff on low speed just until the flour disappears. If you mix too much now, you'll get tough cookies. I usually finish with a spatula by hand to get the texture just right.
- Roll and Cut the Dough:
- Roll your dough out to 1/4 inch thick on a slightly floured counter. Cut small round cookies with a cutter so they're all the same size. Gently gather and re-roll leftover dough to use it all. Put cut cookies on your lined sheets about an inch from each other.
- Bake to Perfection:
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges just start to look golden but the middles stay pale. Don't let these get brown all over. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the tray before moving them to wire racks to cool completely.
- Prepare the Lavender Buttercream:
- Beat soft butter until smooth, then slowly mix in powdered sugar until it's all blended. Add finely ground food-grade lavender, heavy cream, and vanilla. Beat 2-3 minutes until super fluffy. Your cream should stay in shape but still be easy to spread.
- Assemble the Sandwich Cookies:
- Pair up cookies that look the same size. Put lavender buttercream on the flat side of half your cookies. Top with the other cookies, pushing down gently to make sandwiches. Add a fancy swirl of buttercream on top of each cookie sandwich.
- Add the Finishing Touches:
- Top each cookie with a skinny lemon slice and tiny sprig of fresh lavender. Add these pretty extras right before you serve them so they look their best.
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The lavender really steals the show in this treat. I grow my own cooking lavender in my yard and pick it in early summer when the buds just start to open. The smell fills my kitchen when I bake and always takes me back to those lavender fields I saw in Provence a while back.
Storage Tips
These sandwich cookies will stay good for about 5 days if you keep them in an airtight box in your fridge. Let them warm up to room temp before eating for the best flavor and feel. You can freeze the plain cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer container with parchment paper between layers. Just thaw them out and add fresh buttercream when you're ready to eat them.
Flavor Variations
Though lemon and lavender taste amazing together, this cookie base works great with other flavors too. Try orange zest with vanilla bean cream, or lime zest with coconut filling for a beach vibe. For Christmas, swap lemon zest for orange zest and use cinnamon in the cream instead of lavender. Once you get the hang of the basic method, you can come up with tons of different versions.
Serving Suggestions
These fancy cookies need a classy presentation. Serve them with Earl Grey tea or bubbly champagne for special events. They look stunning on baby or bridal shower dessert tables, especially on a tiered plate stand. For an extra fancy treat, put a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies and freeze them briefly for a grown-up ice cream sandwich.
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These cookies look just as good as they taste, perfect for making sweet memories with the people you care about.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Can I prepare these cookies ahead of time?
You can absolutely prep these ahead! Bake the cookies up to 3 days in advance. Store them airtight. Make the filling a day early, refrigerate it, and then sandwich everything together no more than 24 hours before serving for the freshest results.
- → Where can I purchase culinary lavender?
Look for food-grade lavender at gourmet food stores, herb shops, farmers markets, or online retailers. Be sure it’s labeled as safe for cooking, since ornamental lavender may contain chemicals not meant for eating.
- → Do I need to use food coloring in the filling?
Not at all! Skipping the purple coloring won’t affect the flavor at all. It’s there purely for looks, so leaving it out is perfectly fine.
- → What’s the best way to store these cookies?
Keep the fully made cookies in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving so they’re soft and flavorful.
- → Are these cookies freezer-friendly?
Absolutely! You can freeze the individual cookies (unfilled) for roughly 3 months. Store the buttercream separately in the freezer as well. Once thawed, put them together. Avoid freezing completed cookies since the texture of the filling could change.
- → What substitutes work if I don’t have culinary lavender?
Try swapping one teaspoon of dried rosemary or thyme for a different herby touch. You could also add a tablespoon of ground Earl Grey tea leaves for a similar floral vibe. If that’s not your style, plain vanilla or lemon buttercream works wonderfully too.