These Lavender Lemon Sable Cookies Are Delicate and Delicious

Summertime calls for a light, delicate snack. With its refreshing floral and citrus flavors, this lemon and lavender sable recipe from The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) fits the bill perfectly.

Sables are French butter cookies, similar to shortbread. The French term sable translates to “sand,” referring to the cookie’s crumbly texture. Pauline Balboa Pelea, chef-instructor of pastry and baking arts at the Institute of Culinary Education, shared a few tips for this particular sable recipe, including where to get dried lavender flowers.  

“Usually, there are specialty shops where you can buy lavender flowers. You can use rose petals too—the dried ones, not the fresh ones,” she tells Mental Floss. “You have to be careful about adding too much. It’s pretty powerful.” 

Luckily, making this dish doesn’t take much time. Start by mixing sugar, lavender, and lemon zest in a food processor or blender. Once the lavender pieces are properly ground up, place the blended mixture aside. Afterward, blend more of the sugar and lavender separately and transfer that mixture to a different bowl. 

Grab a stand mixer, equip the paddle attachment, and add butter, salt, and lemon-lavender sugar. Mix the ingredients at low speed until thoroughly incorporated. Once that step is done, you can add the yolks and vanilla extract before adding the flour and milk. Take care not to over-mix, as it can lead to dense, tough cookies. 

Next, shape the dough into 1-inch logs. Wrap them in plastic or parchment paper and let them chill until firm. As the dough sets in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 325°F. 

Unwrap the dough and slice the logs into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Roll the edges in the bowl with the lavender-sugar mixture and organize them on parchment-lined sheet pans. Bake for about 10 minutes or until they turn golden brown on the bottom.

The Institute of Culinary Education offers many more delicious recipes through its comprehensive training programs. The culinary school showcases different cooking courses at its New York and Los Angeles locations, from pastry and baking arts to plant-focused culinary arts. To learn more about the institution’s curricula, visit its website. 

Lavender Lemon Sable Cookies

Yield: 80 cookies

Ingredients
2 1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp dried lavender
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cup butter
Pinch of salt
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1. In a food processor or blender, add 1 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lavender, and lemon zest. Blend until the lavender pieces are fine. Save the blended sugar on the side to be mixed in the dough. Blend the remaining 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon lavender and place in another bowl.
   
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter, sugar blended with lavender and lemon, and salt. Mix on low speed until fully combined.
   
3. Add the yolks and vanilla extract.
   
4. Add flour and mix until just combined, being careful not to over-mix.
   
5. Shape the dough into 1-inch logs and wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Chill until firm in the refrigerator for approximately 1 hour.
   
6. Preheat oven to 325°F.
   
7. Unwrap the dough. Slice logs 1/4-inch thick and roll in a bowl with the lavender-sugar mixture. Arrange on parchment-lined sheet pans. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until slightly colored on the bottom.

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