Lavender Sables

Yields: 36-40 cookies

Adapted from the Pierre Herme Pastries cookbook

Ingredients

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender*

1 cup butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

For Assembly

⅓ cup granulated sugar

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

Directions

1. In a food processor (or with a mortar and and pestle), grind together the sugar and dried lavender. You don’t have to grind it to a powder, just enough to break up the pieces of lavender.
2. Whisk together the butter and lavender-sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the vanilla. Set aside.
3. Sift together the flour and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, until it just comes together. Do not overmix.
4. Turn the dough onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Shape the dough into two logs, about 2 inches wide, and wrap them in the paper. Roll the logs around slightly, to make them cylindrical.**
5. Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours, or overnight.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Unwrap the dough. Sprinkle about ⅓ cup of granulated sugar on a cutting board a tabletop, and roll the dough log in granulated sugar.
7. Slice the dough into about ¼-inch thick disks. Place onto a parchment-lined (or greased) cookie sheet, and bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies turn golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely.
8. If desired, decorate with melted chocolate. Place a stencil over the cookies, and with a small brush, paint over it with melted chocolate.

Notes:

* If you don’t have a food processor, you can add the lavender without grinding it, though the flavor won’t be as developed. Alternatively, you could leave out the lavender altogether, and make some delicious vanilla sables.

**You could also refrigerate the dough in a disk, then roll it out to make cut-out cookies.