Try it….put some lavender in your scones or sprinkle on cupcakes and enjoy a new flavor experience!
Lavender is a member of the mint family and has a sweet, floral flavor with touches of citrus. English lavenders (Hidcote and Munstead) are the sweetest varieties of lavender and the ones chosen for cooking.
Use a light touch when including lavender in cooking…a little bit goes a long way….too much and you will be left with a bitter dish. And be sure to use pesticide-free culinary lavender.
The essence of lavender gets stronger as it dries. When cooking with lavender, use 1/3 the quantity of dried lavender flowers to fresh flowers. So, if a recipe calls for 3 teaspoons fresh lavender, try substituting 1 teaspoon dried.
Lavender’s sweet flavor goes really well with chocolate, berries, pears, lemon, orange, sage, rosemary, thyme, honey, jellies, and meats.
It’s delicious added to scones, quick breads, desserts, meat rubs, honey, salad dressings, stews, ice cream, and drinks. Try our “Gourmet Lemon Lavender Muffins”, get the recipe here.
My favorite way to use lavender in cooking or baking is to use lavender sugar.
My Lavender Sugar Recipe:
I add 1 Tablespoon dried lavender to 2 cups sugar and blend using a food processor until the lavender is fine. Place in covered jar. When a recipe calls for sugar, I substitute it with my lavender sugar! It can also be added to tea or sprinkled on muffins or cookies.
Here is my latest yummy recipe for “Chocolate Lavender Cookies”……These are delicious!!!
Combine all ingredients. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheets. Sprinkle tops with lavender sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for about 12 min. ENJOY!!
