Today’s installment in my menu from A FELLOWSHIP OF BAKERS & MAGIC is the traveling snack Arleta brings with her on the way to the baking battle: lavender vanilla shortbread!

I’ve made shortbread before, a very simple recipe that sticks to the basics of what makes shortbread . . . well, shortbread. Today, I want to take the opportunity to enhance the flavors, showcasing how elevated a shortbread can be. To do this, I infused pure vanilla seeds and crushed lavender buds into the butter overnight. To develop this recipe, I combined elements from Mrs. Hall’s shortbread from ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL (which I’ve posted here before), the official Ted Lasso shortbread recipe, and Seasons and Supper’s Scottish shortbread.

The final cookies turned out delicate and buttery—everything you want a shortbread to be—with just the right amount of floral flavor from the lavender and warm notes from the vanilla bean. The perfect way to showcase Arleta’s flair for flavor!

 A

Lavender Vanilla Shortbread

“Along with that were a dozen lavender vanilla shortbread cookies from a stress bake session . . . The rest she’d left in a box on the orcs’ porch to tide them over until their second round of breakfast.”

— A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Makes 18 lavender vanilla shortbread cookies

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add this to the bowl of a stand mixer with the lavender and butter. Use a spoon or spatula to press the vanilla seeds and lavender through the butter until evenly incorporated. Cover and chill for 6 hours or up to overnight. This will allow the flavors to infuse into the butter.
2. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a 9″-square metal baking pan with parchment paper draping over two sides and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, rice flour, and salt. Set aside.
3. Remove mixer bowl from the fridge and beat the sugar into the butter mix on medium-low speed until combined. Sift in the flour mix 1/2 cup at a time, mixing for 2-3 minutes until the final texture is sandy and loose. Once all the flour is added, you can increase the speed a bit to speed up the process if desired.
4. Transfer to the prepared baking pan and spread out evenly. Firmly press the mix down to an even thickness, approximately 3/4″. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon extra sugar on top and gently press to adhere. In the pan, cut the dough into 18 1.5″x3″ rectangles. Prick each rectangle twice with a fork, pressing about halfway through.
   
5. Bake for 55 minutes until set in the center but not browned. Allow to cool completely in the pan. Once cool, use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the shortbread out of the pan. I like to re-cut them for cleaner lines, but you can also just break them apart with your hands.
6. Serve to the elf escorting you to the Langheim Baking Battle!

A

A

If you like this shortbread recipe,
you can check out my post about Mrs. Hall’s Shortbread
from ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL!