Hello lovely foodies! As we get into the baking season I wanted to quickly share a family secret recipe that has been around for many years. I like to thank my great grandmother Mimi who was a wonderful baker for teaching us this delicious Scottish shortbread recipe. (After all, she was of Scottish descent.) Mimi thank you for leaving behind many great recipes and I dearly miss you.

Key baking notes:

Please READ this section before you get your hands on this cookie recipe.

Rules:

1. Butter must be at room temperature and soft.
2. You must knead the dough by hand between 10-15 minutes. If you do not do this the end result will not be buttery and light as a feather.
3. If you overpower the cookies with lavender it will be very strong and I am sure to leave almost like a soapy taste in your mouth.

Lavender Scottish Shortbread Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of salted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring
• 1/2 teaspoon of lavender flowers, finely chopped

Method:

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven at 325 degrees.
2. Once the butter is soft prepare the dough. Place all the ingredients in a mixer and mix until combined. Do not over mix as that will result in a tough cookie.
3. Key method: Please make sure to follow this to a T. When the dough has formed place dough on a large surface dusted with flour. You MUST knead the dough for 10 minutes. If you feel the dough is too sticky lightly add a bit more flour to the surface.
4. Once the dough is fully kneaded, then roll out the dough in a large square shape about 1/4 inch thickness or so. I like to make either diamond-shaped cookies or rounds. So depending on your cookie shapes, a good tip is to dip the cookie cutter in flour and then place directly in the dough to make cutouts.  This will help ensure the dough will not far apart, and hey if it does then you can simply take the leftover dough and roll out again and repeat the process.
5. Place the cookie shapes on the lined baking sheet. Make sure to leave some room so each cookie can fully bake. Bake for about 20 minutes but make sure your cookies are a light golden brown in color. You do not want to overbake these cookies! Cool on a wired rack and enjoy! The perfect cookie with a cup of tea or coffee. 🙂

Thank you to my mom for teaching me how to master this recipe! To this day my mom is the PRO shortbread cookie maker. 🙂

Happy Holidays from Kouzounas Kitchen.