This beautifully rich Lemon Lavender Shortbread is full of zesty lemon flavour with delicious subtle bursts of floral lavender in every bite. It literally melts in your mouth and has perfect shortbread “snappability”!
I was given the challenge of making shortbread as good as ‘real butter’ shortbread after I joked with someone that anything they could cook, I could cook better and vegan. Having never attempted vegan shortbread before I was slightly worried that I might not be able to keep my word but after the success of my Chocolate & Coconut Cream Cookies and my Vegan Digestive Biscuits I knew I had a pretty good chance.
I started with my Chocolate & Coconut Cream Cookie recipe and adapted it until I got the perfect shortbread texture. I try my best to use whole-food ingredients in almost all of my recipes but occasionally all purpose flour and refined sugar is what is necessary to get the best results. I figure that as long as I eat whole foods most of the time, the odd indiscretion won’t hurt too much. I did try using unrefined sugar in this recipe, but after experimenting with powdered sugar realized that the results were much better.
Be aware when buying sugar, especially refined varieties, that it often is not vegan. You might be horrified to hear that charred animals bones are often used to bleach and filter it. I buy Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Powdered Confectioner’s Sugar as it is certified vegan but I am sure there are other varieties available too.
Using the powdered sugar gives these Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies their characteristic melt in the mouth shortbread texture. If you struggle to get hold of vegan powdered sugar it is possible to make your own by putting regular sugar in a food processor or blender until it becomes a fine powder. Don’t try substituting granulated sugar for the powdered sugar in this recipe because you won’t get the same results.
If you have never tried cooking with lavender you might be a little wary of using it here. Please don’t be. The combination of the lemon and lavender is just beautiful. They are two flavours that work extremely well together especially in shortbread.
As far as I know all varieties of lavender are edible but some taste better than others due to lower camphor levels. Lavandula Angustifolia, otherwise known as English Lavender is the best variety to use for cooking and is also a very common plant. However, you really don’t want your shortbread to end up tasting like cough medicine so unless you are very sure of what variety your lavender is, I would be safe and use culinary lavender. It can usually be found with the herbs and spices in grocery stores. It is also available from Amazon here (this is an affiliate link – see bottom of post for more details).
It took quite a few attempts to get this recipe just right but it was so worth the effort. These Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies are unbelievably delicious and their texture is just perfect. They ‘snap’, they ‘crumble’ and most importably they taste amazing with their zesty lemon flavour and delicious subtle bursts of floral lavender. You can make them and eat them all yourself, but bear in mind that they also make a wonderful gift. Buy a pretty little box or bag from a craft store and they would be perfect to gift to a special teacher at the end of this school year.
I personally think that this recipe beats regular ‘butter’ shortbread hands down. It has the same ‘short’ texture and the flavour is a real winner. Let me know if you agree by leaving your feedback below.
Just another quick note – I often use cups for measurement but in this recipe weight measurements are best. Cup sizes vary depending on where you are in the world and how you scoop it/pour it in makes a huge difference to how much the cup holds. In a lot of recipes you can get away with slight variations but with this one, being accurate is key to good results.
Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 40g / ⅓ cup natural powdered sugar
- 100g / ½ cup coconut oil , hard (refined or unrefined if you don't mind a slight hint of coconut - if your kitchen is on the warmer side and your coconut oil is soft put it in the fridge to firm up before you start)
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt (see recipe note)
- 1/2 teaspoon lavender flowers
- 2 lemons , zested (you only need the zest for this recipe)
- 165g / 1⅓ cup all purpose flour (plain flour in the UK)
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk , try not to use the milk. Only add it if you really cannot get it to come together without as it affects the texture of the shortbread.
- light granulated sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and get a cookie sheet ready. If your sheet has a tendency to stick then line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat .
- Combine the powdered sugar, salt and the coconut oil in a bowl. Use a fork to mash together very, very well until you can no longer see any powdered sugar and it's light and fluffy. You can use a food processor to do this part too if you prefer.
- Add the lavender flowers, zest of the lemons and stir well.
- Sieve in the flour and mix by hand until everything is combined. I start by mashing in the flour with a fork then stir together with a spoon at the end a bit. Do not over mix or use electric beaters here.Too much mixing will affect the texture of the finished shortbread.
- Add the milk only if you need to to bring the dough together. It should be slightly crumbly but hold together if you squeeze it together in your hand. The drier you can get away with keeping the dough, the better the texture of your shortbread, I did not need to use any milk at all but if you do, add it very, very gradually.
- Lightly dust a surface with flour and shape your dough into a ball. Roll out to about 3 - 4 mm thick then use a cookie cutter or mason jar lid to cut into shapes.
- Place gently on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Sprinkle with a little granulated sugar and press into the tops of the cookies very gently with your fingers. Refrigerate for 15 minutes until firm.
- Remove from the fridge and bake for 10 - 12 minutes.They will start turning a little golden around the edges when done.
- Keep an eye on them in the last few minutes as they can turn from ok to overdone very quickly. They will still feel slightly soft in the middle when done but will firm up as they cool.
- Place them on a cooling rack to cool.
- Unlike some cookies these are best eaten when completely cooled so be patient!
Notes
Estimated nutrition per serving:
Long time vegan, creator of A Virtual Vegan & author of the book 
Emily says
Amazing recipe! I was so worried it would be too dry and crumbly when I was cutting them but they are the perfect shortbread texture. I didn’t have lemon and lavender so I used orange zest instead and they were wonderful. Can’t wait to try with lemon & lavender. Thank you!
Cristina says
Can I freeze/refrigerate these cookies? If so, how long will the keep?
A Virtual Vegan says
I’ve never tried with these but they should be fine. Shortbread generally freezes well. You could freeze them uncooked. Make them, cut them out and place on a lined baking tray then put the whole tray in the freezer until the cookies are solid. Then you can take them off and put in bags or containers. They will be ok for 2 to 3 months. You can cook them straight from the freezer. Lay them out on a lined tray and bake just for a 2 or 3 minutes longer than the recipe says.
Or you can freeze them once cooked and cooled. Again it’s best to freeze on a lined baking tray until they are solid, then put them in bags or containers. To defrost, take them out of the bags/containers and let them defrost at room temperature so that condensation doesn’t form and make them soggy. You can refresh them in the oven on about 275°F for about 5 minutes if you want to or just enjoy as they are.
Hope that helps!
Jamie says
These taste delicious and have a crisp texture, but the surfaces of the cookies feel oily, which is unpleasant. I followed the recipe exactly and measured by weight, so Im not sure if I did something wrong or if that’s just the result of baking with a lot of coconut oil.
Daphne says
Lovely cookies! I’ve made them twice now and they’re so good :D It’s interesting how the lavender taste gets stronger with time, though these rarely survive the day after they were baked… Everyone I shared them with was super excited about them and it’s been fun to make them guess the ‘secret’ ingredient, no one expects lavender in a cookie!
Love from Belgium!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Daphne. I’m really pleased you are enjoying them!
Lori Sue Fox says
This was my first time baking with Coconut Oil. The lemon flavor certainly came through, but I would make again using more lavender. I did you the juice of the lemon, instead of milk, to bring the dough together, and used my hand in the end to make a ball of the dough. This cookie in not a butter cookie, but does make a nice vegan alternative. Thank you for sharing.
Madison says
These are perfect!
Tara says
I just wanted to share with you a deep gratitude. I made these the other day for a small gathering and everyone loved them. It’s such a relief to follow a recipe and have it turn out perfect on the first try!! I did have to use a bit of milk, but I chose full fat canned coconut milk and used 2 tablespoons.
A Virtual Vegan says
That’s fantastic Tara. I’m so pleased you all enjoyed them. All of my recipes are tested throughly by me and a team of recipe testers before they make it to the blog so fingers crossed they should all work perfectly first time!
Adi Jones says
Amazing! I love these cookies and make them every winter.
Ruchi Amin says
May I use lemon extract instead of fresh zest? If so, what amount? Thank you.
A Virtual Vegan says
You could. Lemon zest will give you the best flavour though. I’m not sure about the amount as it’s something I never use. Maybe half a teaspoon?
Siobhan says
I just made these last night and they are ridiculously good! I’ve been craving shortbread cookies for awhile and these were everything I wanted and more. I did have to add a little bit of plant milk to mine, I used unsweetened cashew milk. Will definitely be making these again!
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed them Siobhan!
Steph says
This recipe looks so good! Im planning to bake these for a vegan cookie exchange, and im wondering if i could use a lavender tea bag? Im not sure where else i could find lavender.
A Virtual Vegan says
A lot of lavender teas aren’t just lavender so be careful of that. I don’t think these cookies would be so nice with tea flour in them too.You might be able to pick the lavender buds out of the teabags though! The grocery stores here sell lavender with the herbs and spices. It’s available on Amazon too. If you can’t find any, fresh rosemary is nice too so you could use that instead, or just use the lemon on it’s own. You can even omit the lemon and lavender and make them plain, or add chocolate chips, or dip them in melted chocolate. It’s a really versatile recipe. Hope that helps!
Nicole says
Love this recipe! I found it easier to work with in small batches. Breaking the dough into smaller sections and making a few cookies at a time. I don’t add the lemon zest either. So good!
Sarah says
Hi, could you tell me roughly how long these will stay edible for? I’m planning on making them as part of some Christmas presents and would prefer to make in advance but obviously still want them to be tasty and edible :)
Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
If you keep them in an airtight container a week easily. Possibly more. They never last long enough for me to test any longer here!
C. says
These turned out really well..
I replaced the lavender with 1 teabag of chamomile flowers.
The dough was difficult to roll out without falling apart; if treated gently and with patience the results are worth the effort.
Definitely compares well to conventional shortbread.
Thank you for the recipe.
EsmeSalon says
Hello,
I hunted for vegan shortbread and found your site and I would love to try this but i.s.o. lavender use sun-dried sorrel. Do you think it will work???
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m not sure how the flavour of sorrel will work in the shortbread. I have only ever eaten it once and to be honest can’t really remember exactly how it tastes. Rosemary is a great alternative to the lavender, as is thyme.
Ashlee B says
Easy to follow recipe. Stellar flavor. Elegant appearance. Highly recommended. Thank you!