Lavender biscuits

Name: Lavender biscuits
Ingredients: 250 g white caster sugar; 15 g dried lavender; 250 g unsalted butter; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (I used Nielsen-Massey); 360 g plain flour; purple food colouring dust (I used Sugarflair Aubergine); 1 free-range egg white; edible violas in a variety of colours, I’ve used purples

Learn how to make pretty lavender biscuits.

Image credit: Recipe taken from Botanical Baking by Juliet Sear. Photography © Jason Jenkins

Brought to you by Juliet Sear

Juliet Sear shows you how to make these beautiful lavender biscuits decorated with pretty, edible violas and lavender sugar!

"I love these delicate biscuits, perfect for a special teatime treat or as gifts and party favours. The flavour is divine and adding a little purple colouring to the sugar edge really enhances their appeal. Fresh edible violas are added at the end of the bake with egg white to create a biscuit that’s as pretty as a picture."

Tip! You will need a small, clean paintbrush.

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Ingredients

250 g white caster sugar
15 g dried lavender
250 g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (I used Nielsen-Massey)
360 g plain flour
purple food colouring dust (I used Sugarflair Aubergine)
1 free-range egg white
edible violas in a variety of colours, I’ve used purples

Instructions

To make the lavender sugar, blitz the caster sugar and lavender in a food processor until the lavender has been dispersed into a fine dust.

Cream together the butter and lavender sugar with the vanilla bean paste until it is pale and fluffy.

Add the flour and combine into a soft dough.

Split the dough in half and roll each amount into a thick sausage shape with a diameter of around 5cm (2in). Wrap in clingfilm and chill for a couple of hours. You can chill the dough in the fridge for up to two days at this stage, or you can freeze it for up to a month.

Unwrap the chilled dough and cut into 1cm (3/8in) thick slices. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Add purple food colouring dust to the remaining lavender sugar until you have a lilac-coloured sugar.

Roll the edge of each slice of dough in the coloured lavender sugar.

Place the biscuits on a lined baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the biscuits from the oven, brush the tops with a little egg white and add the violas by pushing them gently into the centre of each warm biscuit. Brush over the top with another layer of egg white to seal the flowers in place.