Monday, February 18, 2013

Lavender tea time cookies

I am beginning to dream of my garden.

*FLOWERS * VEGGIES * HERBS

One of my favorite herbs is LAVENDER.  I love it's clean scent, and the flowers are divine in the herb garden as well as landscape!
Today I am going to show you how to make sweet little tea cookies enhanced with culinary lavender and a simple royal icing treatment -perfect for a formal tea party OR a quiet afternoon spent alone with spring seed catalogs!




To begin, I made a regular sugar cookie dough.  After I had rolled and cut out the shapes, I gently sprinkled the tops with dried lavender.  Fortunately, I don't have to purchase edible lavender buds because I had harvested it from my herb garden and then dried it.  

If you have never grown it, I encourage you to give it a try.  It is extremely easy to grow, has a long bloom time, and requires next to no care.

I could have added it into my dough when mixing, but I didn't for two reasons.  One, I wanted to go very sparingly because lavender can easily overwhelm in flavor - a little goes a very long way!  Two, I wanted to see it on the top so it would give my cookies a textured background for the icing treatment.  

After baking and cooling, I gave each cookie a quick spritz of food coloring spray.


See the little flecks of lavender?


I did half in purple, and half in pink.





I didn't spray the entire cookie, only a diagonal spray across the center.  A quick tip about food color sprays:  try it on some paper before the cookie, because it has a tendency to shoot out some big blobs on the initial spray.

I made four different colors of icing -
LIGHT PURPLE  DARK PURPLE   GREEN   PINK

I used the green first to make the straight lines of the stems.  The first stems go from a center point up the cookie.




And then then go from the center point down the cookie.


See the blobs of color spray?  You wouldn't want that on your cookie!


Now you are just going to start adding dots of the two shades of purple.  




I used two shades because it gives the design more interest and depth.
Now with the pink icing, you make a simple ribbon - two loops, two  flowing lines, and a dot for the knot (hey, that rhymed!).





And there you have it!  
When you deconstruct a design into lines and shapes, it make the execution less intimidating.  You can make lines and dots, right?





I believe it is time for afternoon tea and dreams of spring!
I can't wait to show you what Mr. Enchanted just built me for starting seeds!  I will be posting it soon  :)


37 comments:

  1. Your cookies are so pretty and dainty looking. Love them andi the wednesday baker

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  2. I love these cookies and I am so jealous that you have an Herb Garden! I would love to have you come over and link to my Show Me Your Plaid Monday's Linky Party! http://www.pandpkitchen.com/2013/02/17/show-me-your-plaid-mondays-10-2/

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  3. These pretty cookies are just wonderful! Pinned!
    I'd love to see them linked up tonight at Two Cup Tuesday on Pint Sized Baker.

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  4. Your cookies are so pretty. These will be easy and fun to make for Easter. Now I'll have to get over to the coast to buy some lavender! And thanks for the tip I think I might to try growing some this year!

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  5. What beautiful cookies! Love the name of your blog, too - and your header shows more pretty cookies. I will be following your blog now that I've discovered it!

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  6. These are so pretty! I LOVE tea cookies, tea and anything to do with either of them! Following from Mix It Up Monday. :-)

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  7. Those cookies are very pretty- and your explanation makes them seem doable! They would be perfect for a tea party. (:

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  8. Oh my goodness those have to be the most beautiful cookies I have EVER seen! Your tutorial is so helpful - when you simplify it for us "non decorating bakers" like me, well, perhaps one day I will try it because I adore baking with lavender for sure!

    So pretty, thanks so much for visiting so I could find YOU!

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  9. Very pretty Lisa. i will have to try some of these this summer. Last summer I made lavender sugar.
    Sherry

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  10. What pretty cookies and perfect for tea! Thank you for sharing your easy to follow directions and joining me for tea, Lisa.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  11. What adorable cookies! They are just so pretty. Thanks for the "how to" of them!

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  12. Lisa, what gorgeous cookies you've decorated and shared with us. You're the most talented cookie baker EVER!

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  13. What beautiful cookies! Love the lavender! They look absolutely gorgeous! I wouldn't even want to eat one because it's way too pretty!!!

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  14. Such pretty cookies and I will definitely use your tutorial - lines and dots I can do.
    Thank you for sharing. I'm a new follower.
    Judith

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  15. Those cookies are too cute to eat. Well, I suppose you could twist my arm.
    Your blog is lovely. Deb

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  16. Those are so pretty! And you make it sound very doable, too--I might have to try it :)

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  17. I'm your newest follower *_*. I thought I already was!!!

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  18. Lisa, I am now following you. I came over from your comment on my key fobs. I love the taste of lavender in food. How can I tell if the lavender I have growing is culinary? Your cookies are almost too pretty to eat!

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  19. Oh wow, how yummy & perfect these look & they are lavendar, my favorite. You are so talented and I just love your blog. Have a great week, Jen

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  20. I'm new to your blog and I'm simply enchanted! Do you sell your cookies? I'd love to buy some for a Spring tea I have planned.

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  21. Lisa, those are so pretty!!! I think I could make these. Thank you for sharing and thank you for the visit and sweet comment at The Dedicated House. It means the world. Would love it if you would share this post at my Make it Pretty Monday party which is still live. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2013/02/make-it-pretty-monday-week-37.html Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  22. Oh I am so glad that you came over! You have been pinned. I hope that you come back every week! Thanks for sharing at Show Me Your Plaid Monday's!

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  23. Your lavender cookies are beautiful! Thanks for sharing your tutorial.
    hugs,
    Lisa

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  24. I am not a cookie decorator but with the help of your tutorial...I'm going to give it a try! Hugs, Penny

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  25. Funny and charming pictures, those cookies are beautifully decorated.

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  26. These are so sweet! You are very talented :-)

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  27. These are very charming! They look pretty and I bet they taste wonderful- so festive!

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  28. These are very cute cookies xxx

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  29. You make the most beautiful cookies EVER!!

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  30. Pinned! Thanks for sharing at Two Cup Tuesday at Pint Sized Baker! Hope to see you there again on Monday night!

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  31. Ok, with this tutorial I think I can do this. Pinning

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  32. These are charming and a project I would have the confidence to try. Thanks for the inspiration!

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