Lavender Honey Cookies (Recipe Inspired by LYING IN WAIT)

Lavender Honey Cookies are my ode to the small bits of loveliness found in Lying in Wait. There’s so much that’s ugly in this book that it’s a surprise when you stumble upon something beautiful, which can range from the simple, like pretty lace curtains hanging in the window of a drab, grey house, to the more complex, like a happy relationship between two suffering people.

Or, y’know…a lovely garden in the back of a manor house…with a woman’s dead body buried in it.

The bits of beauty are always fleeting, always taken over by the darker aspect, made all that more sinister for having been put up next to the light. Juxtaposition runs rampant throughout the novel, particularly when it comes to Lydia. She gives the impression of being a well-mannered, upper class, elegant lady; you would never expect her to be capable of the things she does. She’s completely crazy, and a murderer, but she hides it real well under a pretty facade.

Lydia was pretty much the inspiration for this book-inspired recipe. She reveals a crucial memory about a childhood tea party at one point, and I can easily imagine these Lavender Honey Cookies daintily piled on a platter that fateful day, waiting to be gobbled up before events take a very unfortunate turn. I also wanted a lovely, elegant treat to counteract the disturbing and dark elements of Lying in Wait, and these cookies are it.

I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’m surprised by how much I really love these little treats. While I adore lavender and have visited several lavender farms in my day, I don’t tend to use it in my cooking or baking since its scent can be overwhelming. However, these cookies have the perfect amount of lavender aroma and flavor.

This recipe uses both lavender honey and culinary lavender, which you can order online or sometimes find in places like Home Goods and T.J. Maxx. Same goes for the lavender honey — after searching numerous craft fairs near me, I finally found a jar at Home Goods.

The key to these cookies is to mix the culinary lavender into the softened butter; this way, the grains are evenly disbursed throughout the dough. I’m convinced that this particular honey I used wasn’t very lavender-infused, so feel free to use unflavored honey if that’s all you have on hand. As long as you use the lavender grains in the dough, you’ll still get that floral essence.

These cookies require a little extra effort since you need to freeze/refrigerate the dough for a bit, but it’s well worth it. What’s great about this, though, is that you can prep the dough up to 24 hours ahead of time, and then just slice and bake when you’re ready. It’s like using Pillsbury cookie dough, but homemade! And better! (JK. Pillsbury sugar cookie dough will always be my favorite.)

You want to cut the dough in 1/8 inch-thick slices, no bigger. If you’re unsure what this looks like, don’t try to eyeball it; I did, and I ended up with MASSIVE cookies my first time around. Trust me and get out a ruler to find out exactly how thick it is (…that’s what he said. #sorrynotsorry) because anything bigger than 1/8 inch can result in aesthetically unappealing cookies.

I mean, they’ll still taste delicious — but they’ll be a little chubby.

The slices only need to bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. You definitely want that deep brown color to caramelize the brown sugar and honey in the dough. I love how the tiny flecks of lavender can be seen in every cookie, and how the floral scent subtly permeates each bite.

These cookies are incredibly soft, almost melting in your mouth, and it’s hard to keep yourself from gobbling them up in bunches. Husband actually preferred them without the icing, but I was like, “I don’t think my photography skills can do much with naked cookies.” So, I added a simple glaze to each cookie, then sprinkled them with some more culinary lavender and purple-blue sanding sugar.

Since these cookies are so moist, you want to store un-iced cookies in a non-airtight container at room temperature; airtight at room temp will trap too much moisture and the cookies will become mushy. Or, you can store un-iced cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, once you ice these babies, you have to store them in the fridge, and then you can (should) use an airtight container.

Confused? Don’t be. You can solve that problem by eating all the cookies in one sitting. (And then the cookies won’t be the only thing that’s chubby. Ha! I laugh because it’s true…)

Serve these Lavender Honey Cookies with a nice cuppa tea or coffee as an elegant afternoon treat.

Lavender Honey Cookies

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Prep Time 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  

Cookie Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp culinary lavender grains
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup lavender honey
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Glaze Ingredients

• 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 tbsp milk
• culinary lavender granules, for sprinkling
• sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

 

Prep Instructions

• Fit stand mixer with paddle attachment and bowl.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Take a long piece of plastic wrap and set it aside on your counter; you’ll need this to roll up the dough after it’s mixed.
• Put a few spoonfuls of flour in a bowl and set aside.

Baking Instructions

• Place softened butter in stand mixer and mix for a few minutes until smooth. Add 1/2 tsp lavender grains and mix on low until incorporated.
• Add the light brown sugar and the granulated sugar and mix on medium-high to combine.
• Add vanilla extract, egg, and honey, and mix on medium-high to combine.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, then add to the dough in batches, mixing well between additions until thoroughly combined. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
• Lightly flour your hands using the spoonfuls of flour you set aside earlier, then turn cookie dough out on to plastic wrap. Shape dough into a log with your hands along the length of the plastic wrap. Once you have a rough log shape, fold the ends of the plastic wrap over the log and continue to shape and lengthen it.
• Twist the ends of the plastic wrap so the cookie dough log is sealed inside. Place the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, until firm (but not frozen).
• When you’re ready to slice and bake, preheat oven to 350F.
• Remove plastic wrap from dough log and cut into 1/8 inch thick slices. Arrange slices on lined baking sheets so they are 2 inches apart—cookies will spread! Bake about 10 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown.
• Cool cookies on trays for 8-10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling. Cool cookies completely before glazing.

Glaze Instructions

• Whisk together confectioner's sugar and milk until smooth.
• Spoon a little glaze onto each cookie--a little goes a long way. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle with lavender grains and crystals.
• Refrigerate 20 minutes to set icing.