Lavender Shortbread

The smell of lavender makes me think of my mother and grandmother. My mother because she has it growing in her front yard. My grandmother because when I was a child she would have us make little sachets from the lavender she grew in her yard.

Someone gave me lavender shortbread last summer. The taste, the smell. It brought me back to when I was a little girl at my grandmother's house making those sachets. You know I just had to make some myself.

I need to put my own scented lavender plant in my yard. In the mean time, I'll purchase dried lavender at Whole Foods. Not cheap, but worth it.

All you need to do is add 1 tablespoon dried or 2 tablespoon fresh lavender flowers to your favorite shortbread recipe.

If you don't have a shortbread recipe I recommend the one from America's Test Kitchen.

Then enjoy with a cup of tea with a friend.

Cashew-Lemon Shortbread Cookies

It's Christmas and one of the many traditions we have is my two girls and I make cookies together.

This year I thought I would try a few new recipes. This one was a huge hit. For sure we will be making them again!

Cashew-Lemon Shortbread Cookies
from Santa's Favorite Cookies 

1/2 cup roasted cashews
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
Additional sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F. Place cashews in food processor; process until finely ground. Add butter, sugar, lemon extract and vanilla; process until well blended. Add flour; process using on/off pulses until dough is well blended and begins to form a ball.


2. Shape dough into 1-1/2-inch balls; roll in additional sugar.



Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten slightly with bottom of glass dipped in sugar.

3. Bake 17 to 19 minutes or just until set and edges are lightly browned. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Banana Cookies

So you have a few very ripe bananas sitting on your counter and you really don't want to make bread again. Try cookies. Yes, cookies. They are so good. Very cake like. I would like to try them in mini muffin molds.

My sister-in-law (and BMCC member) emailed us this recipe. Try them. They won't last long.

Banana Cookies

INGREDIENTS

·                                 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature

·                                 1 cup of sugar

·                                 1 egg, room temperature

·                                 1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)

·                                 1 teaspoon of baking soda

·                                 2 cups of flour

·                                 pinch of salt

·                                 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

·                                 1 teaspoon of vanilla

·                                 1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg & vanilla and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookie