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lemon-lavender-cookies

Lemon Lavender Cookie Bars

Source: yestoyolks.com

These Lemon Lavender Cookie Bars are a revelation! They’re sweet and lemony with a touch of lavender essence. The lavender here is floral and light and not at all overpowering, and it pairs so beautifully with the flavor of lemon. The sweet sugar cookie base and the light lemony glaze are a match made in heaven!

Ingredients

FOR THE BARS:

  • Nonstick cooking spray

  • Zest of 1 lemon (roughly 2 tablespoons)

  • ¾ cup sugar

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 large egg, at room temperature

  • 1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil (any neutral flavored oil will work)

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • ½ teaspoon lavender extract (measure this carefully!)

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour

  • 1½ teaspoons cornstarch

  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

  • ⅛ teaspoon baking soda

  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt

FOR THE LEMON LAVENDER GLAZE:

  • 1½ cups powdered sugar

  • Zest of ½ a lemon (roughly 1 tablespoon)

  • Juice of 1 lemon (roughly 2 tablespoons)

  • ⅛ teaspoon lavender extract (measure this carefully!)

  • Dried culinary lavender flowers, for garnish (optional)

Directions

FOR THE BARS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Spray everything with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

  2. In the bowl of your stand mixer (alternatively, you can do this in a regular bowl if you’re mixing by hand or with a hand-held mixer), combine the sugar and lemon zest. WIth your hands, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until it is fragrant.

  3. Add the butter to the bowl and beat until the mixture is fluffy and creamy, about 30 seconds.

  4. Add in the egg, oil, lemon juice, and extracts and beat to combine.

  5. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

  6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches, mixing well after each addition. When you add the last batch of dry ingredients, beat until just combined – don’t overmix.

  7. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing it out as evenly as possible. The dough will be sticky. My favorite method for pressing it into the pan is to spray my hand or a spatula with nonstick spray and use that to press it evenly into the pan.

  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center is set.

  9. Cool the bars in the pan completely before topping with the glaze.

FOR THE LEMON LAVENDER GLAZE:

  1. In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and extract. You want it to be easily pourable and smooth – you can add a touch more sugar or lemon juice to achieve this consistency, as needed.

  2. Pour the glaze over the cooled bars and sprinkle the dried lavender over top for decoration (if using). Allow the glaze to set completely before slicing into bars. I like to put the whole pan in the fridge for 15 minutes or so to help set things up more quickly. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature. I like to store the bars in the fridge for up to a week. They’ll keep at room temperature for a 2-3 days.

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