Lavender Recipes

Here are a few Lavender recipes to try regardless if you are a beginner or a Lavender aficionado! Tasty and easy to make. Please use organically grown, non-sprayed "Sweet" Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) for best results. "Hidcote" Lavender will give you the best colour for any infusions eg. syrups, jelly or vinegars.

Frances' Secret Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Lavender Cloud Cookies
Quick Lavender Cinnamon Buns
Fresh Lavender Ice Cream
Lavender Harvest Fudge
Lavender Shortbread
Easy Lavender Cheesecake
Lavender Herbal Jelly
Lavender Lemonade

See Lynda's article on edible flowers ~ "Eating Lavender & Beyond!"

Want more Lavender cooking recipes? Lavender Recipe Links

Frances' Secret Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies!

… try and resist these straight from the oven … Makes approx 3 dozen

• 1/2 cup real butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• *** 2 Tbsp. dried Sweet Lavender flowers (3-4 Tbsp. fresh flowers)
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups white flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 generous cup good chocolate chips

Bowl 1: Blend butter, sugar & Lavender until smooth. Add egg, milk & vanilla in next.

Bowl 2: Blend oatmeal, flour, and baking powder together; add in your chocolate chips to this dry mix.

Blend both mixes together to form soft dough.
(If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour.)

Place by teaspoons onto baking tray.
Set oven @ 350° F
Bake 10 minutes for soft cookies, 15 mins for crisp ones.

OPTIONAL: Add 3 or 4 pieces of crystallized ginger finely chopped OR zest of one orange. OR: 1 cup nuts, raisins, coconut OR dried sweetened cranberries.
FOR A CHOCOLATE dough base: Add ½ cup of cocoa powder in with flour & sugar and decrease the chocolate chip amount slightly.

Lavender Cloud Cookies

• 2 egg whites
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. dried Lavender
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped crystalized ginger or 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat egg whites until stiff.

Add sugar gradually, while still beating on high.

Finely grind the Lavender. (I use a clean coffee grinder)

Tip the meringue base into a medium bowl and gently fold in the Lavender, vanilla, chocolate and ginger/cranberries. Do not overmix.

Drop by small teaspoons onta a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place in oven and immediately turn the heat OFF.

Leave overnight, then store in airtight tin.

Makes approx. 30.

Quick Lavender Cinnamon Buns

Dough:

• 1/4 cup soft butter
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Blend butter & sugar in a medium bowl. Then add in flour and baking powder until mixture is fine & crumbly. Whisk egg, milk, lemon juice & vanilla in a small bowl. Make a well in the flour mixture & using a fork, briefly mix in milk mixture to form a stiff dough. Do not over knead. Prepare a floured surface & roll out dough 1/2 inch thick in a rectangle shape.

Filling:

• 1/4 cup soft butter
• 2 Tbsp. dried Lavender OR 4 Tbsp. fresh Lavender flowers
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. cinnamon powder

"Butter" rolled out dough, then sprinkle with Lavender, brown sugar & cinnamon. Starting at widest edge, tightly roll up dough into a "sausage shape", sealing the far edge with a brush of milk. Pinch edges together. Cut evenly into 12 rounds. Bake for 20 minutes, check to see if they need 5 minutes more. Nicer on the softer side. Yes, eat warm!

PS: For garden parties, roll the dough in a wider rectangle and you can get twice as many smaller rounds! Cut down the baking time by 5 minutes for mini ones.

PSS: For an added decadence, pour a small amount of good maple syrup over the tops before or after baking, you won't need icing!

Fresh Lavender Ice Cream

• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups light cream
• 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 handful fresh Lavender angustifolia flowers*

*The deeper the colour of your Lavender flowers, the more colour your ice cream will have. I use our deepest coloured "Hidcote " Sweet Lavender. Pick when just freshly opening, not older over bloom for the freshest taste.

1. Gently heat the milk and fresh Lavender together. Do not boil.
2. Strain out the Lavender & stir in the salt & sugar while still hot.
3. Stir in vanilla extract & cream.
4. Chill immediately, minimum 2 hours.
5. Churn or process as your ice cream maker directs, then skip to step #8.
   OR by hand follow steps #6 & #7~
6. Pour mixture into a stainless steel bowl and place in your freezer.
7. Every 15 minutes, whisk or beat until icy or thickened.
8. In the last few minutes or just before you remove from the ice cream maker: sprinkle in a few fresh florets of Lavender! Fresh raspberries an option or Lemon peel zest.

PS: Dried angustifolia Sweet Lavender can be used, try 3 Tbsp. and add when milk is already heated, time 5 minutes, strain immediately. Then follow as above. Over steeping with dried Lavender makes the taste bitter & the colour grey. If you like a stronger Lavender flavour, use 4-5 Tbsp. dried Sweet Lavender.

Lavender Harvest Fudge

• 2 cups (12 oz.) good chocolate chips (for special occasions use Belgian chocolate!)
• 1 tin (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 Tbsp. dried Lavender flowers (3 Tbsp. fresh)
  - measure, then grind finely, use a clean coffee grinder

Melt everything together in a double boiler. Add 3 tbsp. butter. Stir until smooth and melted.

Pour into a pan lined with wax paper (approximately 9" x 9"). Cover with Saran Wrap. Chill overnight.

Cut into 1" squares. Wrap like "sweets" in twists of wax paper. Decorate with a sticker smiley face!

*Recipe can be doubled, use 9" x 12" pan. Stripe it using white chocolate for top layer and dark for the bottom.

**Optional: Sprinkle fresh Lavender on top layer to decorate!

Lavender Shortbread

• 3 Tbsp. fresh organic Lavender flowers
  OR 1 1/2 Tbsp. dried organic Lavender flowers
• 1 cup butter
• 1/4 cup (scant) cornstarch
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp. Lavender "Tea"*
  (extra Lavender or substitute: see footnote)

Set oven at 325° F.

Use food processor to blend chilled butter (not room temperature) plus Lavender flowers, icing sugar & cornstarch. Add half the flour amount and Lavender tea*. Pulse gently until roughly cut into a “crumbly” texture. Blend in remainder of flour until it “balls” into a smooth dough. Roll in a wax paper log like frozen cookie dough. CHILL 30 MINUTES.

Cut into 1/2 inch rings, bake on ungreased cookie sheet until just golden on the bottom. Aprox 20 minutes. Cool before handling. Makes aprox 30. Store in tight tin.

* Lavender Tea
Use 4 teaspoons of fresh Lavender or 1 Tbsp. dried. Place in a mug & pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over the Lavender. Use a saucer as a lid & steep 5 minutes. Stain & measure tea as a flavour booster, drink remainder as you wait for cookies!
Can substitute 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice or 1 tsp. vanilla extract.

PS Dough can be frozen. (This way you can make the dough rolls in fresh season & bake for Christmas!) Please ~ thaw before slicing so dough does not crack.

Easy Lavender Cheesecake

CRUST:

• 2 cups (approx. 200gr) shortbread cookies
• 5 Tbsp. melted butter

Whiz cookies in a blender to reduce to crumbs, stir in butter and press into 9" spring form pan. Chill.

FILLING: Make a Lavender infusion with:

• 3 Tbsp. fresh Lavender
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. boiling water

Steep 15 minutes, strain.
Beat together:

• 3/4 cup of honey
• 1 cup cream cheese (8 oz.)

Add Lavender "tea".
Whip 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream. Fold in Lavender cream cheese mix. Pour onto crust. Chill 3-4 hours.

TOPPING:

• 1 package frozen, pitted sour cherries (600gr)
• 1 Tbsp. minute tapioca to thicken
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh Lavender, to taste (1 Tbsp. dried)
• 3-4 Tbsp. honey, to taste

Gently heat together, cool before using on the cheesecake. Can be spooned over each piece as cut, or spread as glaze. Strained blackberries works well too. YUM!

Keep refrigerated as this is a "soft" uncooked cheesecake.

Lavender Herbal Jelly

Most of us have tasted mint jelly not realizing that it is a herbal jelly. Mint is just one option from the rainbow of herb jellies to explore for their variety of tastes and colours too! I love offering a taste of my first favourite, rosemary jelly, made with an orange juice base. Rose petal jelly creates a sparkling rose color (substitute petals from 12 roses and 2 sprigs of rose scented geraniums instead of the lavender in the recipe below). Or how about a raspberry coloured clove dianthus jelly?...pale honey coloured lemon verbena...spicy deep purple coloured opal basil...soft mauve violet jelly! These visual and tasty delights are easy to make too! If you can make a pot of herb tea you can make herbal jellies.. From a basic herb infusion you add sugar,pectin and a dash of acidlike lemonjuice or whitewine vinegar to help draw the colours. Food colouring is optional but not necessary.

• 1 1/2 cups fresh lavender flowers
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 1 box powdered 'certo'
• 4 cups white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

1. To begin, sterilze 5 x 1c jelly jars, rings and seals, and find a medium to large sized pot.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a pot, place in the lavender, and cover with a lid.
3. Lower heat to simmer for 5 min, then remove from heat. Don't peek! Steep for at least 20 mins or preferably overnight.
4. Strain and mesure 3 cups of the lavender brew and place in deep jelly making pot.
5. Whisk in pectin crystals and vinegar, bring to a boil, and whisk in sugar.
6. Keep pot boiling until it is at a rolling boil that can't be stirred down (about 1 min.)
7. Remove from heat, and let sit for 5 min. Skim the top if necessary.
8. Quickly bottle and seal before it jellifies. Let the jelly age 1 month for best results.

Hint: Don't give them all away!
Recipe from Herbal Adventures by Lynda Dowling

Lavender Lemonade

Hidcote lavender turns lemonade rosy pink. Other varieties turn it a paler color. Avoid piney-smelling lavenders, such as spike. For that extra touch, garnish lemonade with fresh lavender sprigs. Makes: 6 cups

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup (a generous handful) fresh or 1 tablespoon dried lavender blooms stripped from stems
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
• Ice cubes
• Lavender sprigs for garnish

1. Combine sugar with 2 1/2 cups water in a medium pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add the lavender blooms to the sugar water, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand at least 20 minutes (and up to several hours).
3. Strain mixture and discard lavender. Pour infusion into a glass pitcher. Add lemon juice and another 2 1/2 cups water. Stir well and watch lemonade change color.
4. Pour into tall glasses half-filled with ice or refrigerate until ready to use.

Lavender Cooking Links (will open in a new window)

• Cooking with Lavender
• Lavender Lovers Recipes