Lavender butter cookies make the perfect snack for a cool end-of-summer day like today. They require little more than a few simple ingredients, one of which you can most likely find growing in your (or your neighbor's) yard. Enjoy!

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached white flour, sifted
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lavender flowers*
Pinch of salt

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Gradually add flour, lavender flowers, and salt. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Shape each piece of dough into 1 1/4-inch round cylinders and cover with plastic wrap. Chill the dough for one hour, or freeze for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and slice dough into 1/4-inch rounds. Bake on an ungreased sheet (I used parchment paper with mine) for around 10 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown. Remove cookies and cool on rack. Recipe yields 3 to 4 dozen.

*A note about preparing lavender:

The best time to pick your lavender is when it is at peak of bloom (L. angustifolia is recommended for culinary use). Most of the flowers should be open, with a few closed buds on the stem. Wash them gently in cold water and pat them dry. Remove any wilted flowers and gently strip off what is left. And, if you'd rather your cookies have only a subtle essence of lavender, use only 1 tablespoon.

Recipe courtesy of Edible Chesapeake.

Image by me.