baking

Lavender Earl Grey Cookies!

| cclelandnissen

Still hooked on the lavender here 💜

Earl Grey and Lavender go so well together, especially with the off and on rain and sunshine we’ve been having!

I used what was left of the cream cheese frosting I made for my Lavender Blackberry cake to frost the cookies, and added some ground up buds for a pretty purple garnish. I left some unfrosted, because why not! They’re excellent without frosting too!


The recipe is super easy, and I actually already had everything except the Earl Grey in my cupboard! Win!

Ingredients

For the Lavender Earl Grey Cookies

  • ▢ 2 ¼ cups (9.5 ounces or 270 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ▢ 1 Tablespoon finely ground Earl Grey tea (from 3 tea bags or 4 teaspoons loose leaf tea)
  • ▢ ½ teaspoon culinary-grade lavender, finely ground
  • ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ▢ 1 ¼ cup (8.80 ounces or 250 grams) granulated sugar
  • ▢ 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ▢ 1 large egg
  • ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For Garnish

  • ▢ 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ▢ blue cornflower petals

Instructions 

For the Lavender Earl Grey Cookies

  • Prep your oven and pans. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
  • Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, Earl Grey tea, lavender, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Cream the sugar and butter, then add the egg, vanilla, and dry ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter. Beat on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the egg. Add the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.
  • Assemble the cookies. Use a 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the cookie dough into balls. Place the cookies at least 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pans. Sprinkle the tops of the dough balls with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of sugar for garnish before baking.
  • Bake the cookies. Bake one pan at a time for 12 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey. The cookies will look puffed when you pull them out of the oven, but will fall and crack into the perfect cookies as they cool. 
  • Garnish and cool the cookies. Cool the cookies on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies have set and feel firm to the touch. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. I frosted the cookies at this stage and sprinkled crushed lavender for a garnish.
  • Serve and store. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature.

Blackberry Lavender Cake

| cclelandnissen

We haven’t gotten into this yet, but I have a feeling it’s going to be delightful!

I love lavender flavored everything!! Especially in Spring. This seemed like the most perfect time for a Blackberry Lavender cake!

I found the recipe here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/blackberry-lavender-cake/

I kept the frosting its natural shade, because I thought it was beautiful, but also – food coloring, ew.
But I did use a small amount of the frosting and colored it with the juice of mashed blueberries and blackberries for the soft lavender/pink tone. I think it turned out pretty, I’m excited to try it! 😋

Blackberry Lavender Cake

The Ol’ Switcheroo Cookies

| cclelandnissen

Remember when I made these cookies!? I do 🤤
They’re really kind of like brownie-cookies. They’re amazing. Here’s the recipe I used!


Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup (55g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk (any kind, dairy or non)
  • 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) white chocolate chips, plus a few more for optional topping*

  1. Preliminary note: This cookie dough requires at least 3 hours of chilling, but I prefer to chill the dough overnight. The colder the dough, the thicker the cookies.
  2. In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and then beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour into the wet ingredients. Beat on low until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Switch to high speed and beat in the milk, then the white chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be sticky and tacky. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough.
  4. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This makes the chilled cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.
  5. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  6. Scoop and roll dough, a heaping 1.5 Tablespoons in size, into balls. To ensure a thicker cookie, make the balls taller than they are wide (almost like a cylinder or column). Arrange 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheets. The cookie dough is certainly sticky, so wipe your hands clean after every few balls of dough you shape.
  7. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes or until the edges appear set and the centers still look soft. Tip: If they aren’t really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2-3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven to continue baking.
  8. Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool. 
  9. Cover leftover cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Banoffee Cake ☘️

| cclelandnissen

Homemade Banoffee (Banana Toffee) Cake with homemade cream cheese frosting! I read that Banoffee Pie is considered an Irish traditional dessert, so naturally, I had to make it!

This turned out so tasty and moist, I’m actually pretty proud of this one! I’d recommend cutting the pieces smaller, as it is more dense, like a banana bread. And good with vanilla ice cream, but definitely not needed 😉