Cooking With Catherine-Lavender Biscuits

 

There are lots of things to contend with when you are pregnant such as nausea, hormones, and cravings (or so I am told). Some women crave salty things, others sweet, and when our favorite domestic Princess was pregnant with her first child, it was reported that she was craving lavender biscuits. When I first heard this, I thought it was a bid odd myself. Lavender was a flower, not something you eat. I pushed my judgement aside however to try these seemingly strange biscuits and what I got was a delightful surprise.

 Lavender Biscuits:

Ingredients:

• 4 sprigs of lavender (no flowers)
• 2 TBS of granulated sugar
• 5 oz butter
• 2/3 cup of caster sugar (extra for sprinkling)
• 1 cup of plain flour

Directions:

1.  Strip the lavender leaves from the stems to make a heaped tablespoonful. Add the granulated sugar and whizz them in a processor. Set aside until required.

2.  Chop the butter into the processor bowl, add the caster sugar and whizz until soft and light. Add the flour and the lavender/sugar mix and process again until a dough forms.

3.  Turn onto a floured surface and shape into a sausage approx 2″ diameter. Wrap tightly in foil or film and place in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours until firm/or overnight.

4.  Heat the oven to 375 deg F.

5.  Taking a sharp knife slice off the dough into discs approx 1/4″ thick and place onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes until pale golden color.

6.  When baked remove from the oven onto a cooling rack and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Once cool store in an airtight container.

These really did take me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to like them as much as I did, but the lavender adds a unique flavor to the biscuit that is earthy, yet subtle. If you cannot find fresh lavender (which I could not) it is okay to used dried lavender as long as you adjust your measurements. Dried lavender is much more potent than fresh and you don’t want the biscuits to taste like perfume! One tablespoon of dried lavender is equivalent to three tablespoons of fresh lavender so be careful. Pair these with a cuppa and a great book and you’ve got yourself one fine afternoon.