These buttery floral cookies, perfectly dainty for afternoon tea, are crowned with a luscious Honey Buttercream to produce an ideal sweet treat for a wonderful celebration.
Lavender Thumbprint Cookies with Honey Buttercream
Serves: approximately 35
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon culinary dried lavender
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Honey Buttercream (recipe follows)
- Garnish: culinary dried lavender
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line 3 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and lavender with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla extract at low speed for 1 minute.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Beat flour mixture into butter mixture at low speed until dough comes together, stopping to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
- Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Ateco #829). With piping bag perpendicular to prepared baking sheets, pipe cookie dough 2 inches apart into 1¾-inch-tall portions, then twist piping tip 2 to 3 times. Using the back of a ¼-teaspoon round measuring spoon, gently press a well into the center of each cookie. Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Bake cookies, a batch at a time, until tops are dry to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Using the curved end of a wooden spoon handle, press down centers. Let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool completely.
- Just before serving, place Honey Buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a small open-star tip (Ateco #861). With piping bag perpendicular to cookie, pipe buttercream into centers.
- Garnish with dried lavender, if desired. Serve within 2 hours.
Notes
MAKE-AHEAD TIP: Store unfilled cookies in an airtight container with layers separated by wax paper, and serve within 3 days.
Honey Buttercream
Serves: approximately ¾ cup
This marvelous and simple topping has just the right amount of sweetness to complement our Lavender Thumbprint Cookies.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Beat in honey, 1 tablespoon at a time, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in sugar until well combined. Beat in cream and salt just until fluffy. Use immediately.
