Buttery Lavender Shortbread Cookies (These are incredible!)

I’m no stranger to sinful desserts. In fact, before I made a change towards healthier choices, I almost always had some form of dessert in the fridge – chocolate mousse, brownies, shortbread cookies, you name it! I’m still a fan, of course, but my taste buds have adapted quite a bit since then. Take for instance my love for shortbread cookies. From the oldie but goodie plain shortbread cookies to these lavender shortbread cookies that I’ll be sharing with you today.

For those of you who haven’t tried lavender before, do try this out before judging! I was also a little hesitant at first, but I’m obviously a huge fan of it now, otherwise I wouldn’t be sharing it with you all!

The lavender flavor is quite faint since we’ll only be using dried lavender flowers in this recipe. The result is quite a delicate cookie that delights the taste buds without it tasting too strongly of flowers.

I find that the lemon zest and vanilla in this recipe really bring out the natural flavors of the ingredients while also balancing the floral notes of the lavender. Lemon zest is incredibly flavorful, and in a different way from its juice. While lemon juice is tart, lemon zest is more concentrated and is neither sweet nor sour– perfect for baking.

Next, we’ll be using almond flour instead of wheat flour or refined white flour, the reason being we want this recipe to be healthier without compromising on flavor and texture. Since shortbread cookies are meant to be dense and not at all fluffy, almond flour is perfect for this.

Almond flour is denser and grainer than wheat flour. It’s made from ground almonds that have been processed and ground into a fine powder. It’s not as fine as wheat flour or refined white flour, but its grains are smaller and finer than almond meal.

More importantly, almond flour is loaded with vitamins and minerals, not to mention healthy fats and fiber. Almonds have been linked to a lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases and stroke due to its anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been shown to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol in the body.

The nutty flavor from the almond flour is excellent with butter and some form of sweetener as your shortbread cookie base. I like using granulated Stevia for texture but you can use any other granulated low carb sweetener.

Once your mixture is ready, all that’s left to do is chill, bake and let cool!

It only takes 10-12 minutes for this recipe to bake. I keep an eye on them starting at the 10 minute mark to make sure I don’t overbake.

Why Are My Cookies Too Hard?

As I mentioned above, I like to watch these cookies closely partly due to excitement of course, but also because when they bake too long, they tend to come out like hard biscuits instead of shortbread cookies. If you prefer biscuits, then by all means overbake away! But for best results, make sure you keep a close eye on your cookies and reduce the baking time if needed.

Can I Decorate My Shortbread Cookies?

Yes, of course you can decorate your shortbread cookies! My kids love to join me in this activity with their choice of sprinkles and icing.

Before you do any sort of decorating, it’s important that your shortbread cookies are completely cool because any sort of icing will melt and turn into a goopy mess if the cookies are still warm. I may or may not have learned this the hard way, so please take my word for it and be patient before decorating!

How Long Do Shortbread Cookies Stay Fresh?

The best part about these shortbread cookies is that they can keep for quite some time. Also, they’re not prone to drying out because there’s not much water content in them.

For best results, store them in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. If you plan to store them for longer than 5 days, we recommend freezing your cookies as soon as they have been cooled. Once frozen, they can last up to 1-2 weeks in the freezer.

Are Shortbread Cookies Low Carb?

Shortbread cookies tend to have higher fats and lower carbs than other cookies, but classifying it as low-carb would largely depend on your personal dietary guidelines.

For keto dieters who are on little to no carbs, these shortbread cookies would not be keto-approved. The carbs from the granulated sweetener and almond flour would probably be too high for people in ketosis.

On the other hand, for low-carb dieters that are not on extremely low carbs, a couple of these shortbread cookies would most probably still fit into their daily carb intake.

(You may also like: Easy 4-Ingredient Homemade Honey Lavender Ice Cream)

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