Lavender Shortbread
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Last Updated on April 28, 2026 by becky
A lavender shortbread recipe made with classic shortbread ingredients (butter, flour, sugar) and culinary dried lavender, plus plenty of homemade lavender-lemon sugar on top. The easiest shortbread cookies with lavender!
Why Make This Lavender Shortbread Recipe?
I first started making shortbread when I moved to the UK to attend pastry school. While you can’t go wrong with this buttery British biscuit in its most traditional form (just butter, sugar, flour, and sometimes a pinch of salt) it’s also fun to experiment with mix-ins. In the past I’ve created shortbread recipes flavored with lemon, dried flowers, chocolate, rainbow sprinkles, and Earl Grey tea, and even a savory version with rosemary and Parmesan cheese.
There are several different methods for preparing homemade shortbread dough. You can use a rolling pin and a cookie cutter to make cut shortbread cookies; form a log and slice the dough into discs with a knife; or do as I’ve done here and press the dough into a square tin, then slice it into squares after baking. But no matter how you make them, these buttery, crumbly biscuits (cookies, in the US!) taste lovely alongside a mid-afternoon cup of tea.
Lavender Shortbread Recipe Ingredients
To make these lavender shortbread cookies, start by gathering the following ingredients:
- Granulated Sugar – You’ll need granulated sugar to sweeten the shortbread dough, plus more to make the lavender-lemon sugar.
- Lemon – Fresh lemon zest, finely zested on a Microplane, gives the sugar topping its citrusy zing.
- Dried Lavender – Choose a good-quality culinary dried lavender. The product should be clearly marked as “edible” or “food grade.” See below for my notes and tips on selecting and working with culinary dried lavender.
- Unsalted Butter – Use a good-quality, unsalted butter, softened enough to whip easily with a mixer.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – Nielsen-Massey makes my favorite vanilla bean paste. If preferred, you can substitute the scrapings of one vanilla pod.
- All Purpose Flour – Paired with butter and sugar, all purpose flour (plain flour) creates the base for these cookies. I test my recipes with Gold Medal or Pillsbury in the US, and McDougalls in the UK.
- Fine Sea Salt – A small amount of fine sea salt cuts the sweetness of the granulated sugar.
Working with Culinary Lavender
If you’re not accustomed to cooking with dried flowers, you might not realize that not all dried flower products are suitable for human consumption. When choosing dried lavender flowers for this recipe, select a product clearly labelled as edible, food-safe, or culinary grade. (The same tip holds true when working with rose petals or dried wildflowers, too.)
Culinary dried lavender is usually sold in large quantities. With the leftovers, try making your own lavender simple syrup or lavender sugar cubes, or toss a handful of the flowers into a fragrant spring simmer pot.
Making the Lavender-Lemon Sugar
To make the lavender-lemon sugar topping, you’ll need dried lavender, finely zested lemon peel, and granulated sugar:
Note that while you can substitute caster sugar (measured by weight) for the shortbread dough, I recommend sticking with granulated sugar for the topping. The larger grains will rest on top of the shortbread, rather than melting into the dough as the cookies bake.
To make the sugary topping, combine all three ingredients coffee grinder or a food processor:
Blitz until thoroughly combined, fragrant, and greyish-purple in color:
Sprinkle the lavender-lemon sugar over the surface of the dough. As the shortbread bakes, the sugar will caramelize slightly, creating a sweet and crunchy topping:
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Store lavender shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days, or layer between sheets of parchment and freeze in an airtight container for up to three months.
Other lavender recipes you might enjoy:
Lavender Sugar Cookies
Lavender Ice Cream
How to Make Sugar Cubes with Lavender
Lavender Simple Syrup
Chocolate Lavender Latte Cookies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Print
Lavender Shortbread
- Total Time50 minutes
- YieldOne 8x8-inch tin 1x
A lavender shortbread recipe made with classic shortbread ingredients (butter, flour, sugar) and culinary dried lavender, plus plenty of homemade lavender-lemon sugar on top.
Ingredients
Lavender-Lemon Sugar:
20 grams granulated sugar (1 1/2 tablespoons)
3 grams lemon zest (1 teaspoon)
1 gram culinary dried lavender (2 teaspoons)
Shortbread:
120 grams unsalted butter, softened (4 1/4 ounces; about 8 1/2 tablespoons)
50 grams granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
192 grams all purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)
2 grams culinary dried lavender (1 tablespoon)
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
Lavender-Lemon Sugar:
In a coffee grinder or the bowl of a food processor, combine granulated sugar, culinary lavender, and lemon zest and pulse until well combined. Set aside.
Shortbread:
Preheat oven to 350° F / 176° C. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment, allowing a 1-inch overhang on all sides.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and granulated sugar and mix on high speed until fluffy and well-combined. Mix in the vanilla bean paste.
In a separate bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, culinary dried lavender, and fine sea salt.
Add dry ingredients to the butter and sugar, mixing on low until the dough resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
With your hands, continue kneading gently until a loose, crumbly dough forms.
With damp fingertips, press dough firmly into prepared pan.
Prick the top 25-30 times with a fork.
Sprinkle with lavender-lemon sugar.
Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until very lightly golden brown around the edges. Sit pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Lifting by the parchment, transfer cooled shortbread to a cutting board. With a sharp chef’s knife, slice into squares or rectangles.
Serve immediately. Store leftover shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Oven
