lavender shortbreads

This cookie smells truly delicious as you remove it from the oven – do use culinary lavender, which has not been sprayed with pesticides.

• 115 g/1 stick butter, softened
• 60 g/⅓ cup caster/superfine or granulated sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 85 g/⅔ cup gluten-free plain/all-purpose baking flour
• 2 teaspoons culinary lavender, finely ground
• 85 g/¾ cup ground almonds
• a little milk, if required
• almond meal flour, for rolling out

2 baking sheets, greased and lined

Makes 20 shortbreads

Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) Gas 4.

Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream together until light and creamy. Sift in the flour and add the lavender and ground almonds. Bring together to a dough with your hands. If the mixture is too dry add a little milk to moisten it.

Transfer the dough to a work surface. Roll the dough into a long sausage shape, 5-cm/2-in diameter. Roll in almond meal flour so that it coats the edge of the dough. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Cut into 1-cm/½-in thick slices and arrange on the prepared baking sheets a small distance apart. Press the back of a fork down into each shortbread to make ridges.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and dust with sugar. Let cool on the baking sheets before serving.

These shortbreads will keep for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container.