My “No-Sugar” Lavender Cookies are a gourmet treat that impresses even the harshest critics. This decadent cookie is studded with real, organic lavender flowers. You can only imagine how amazing your house will smell while baking them!
These tasty morsels are the perfect, delicate dessert to welcome spring, but let’s be honest… they’re great all year long. Whether you serve them at your garden tea party or brighten a cold winter’s night, you’re sure to love them.
Table of Contents:
Benefits of Lavender
The scent of lavender is one of the most popular, but the real deal differs significantly from the artificial substitute for lavender buds. If you’ve never smelled natural, fresh lavender before, you’re in for a treat! You’ll never go back to anything less. Here are a few reasons to become a lavender lover and incorporate this flower into your life.
Helps Manage Diabetes
Lavender is a fantastic option for those managing diabetes. When you pair culinary-grade lavender with gluten-free goodies, you have a winning combination! One study showed that diabetic rats responded positively to lavender treatment. This treatment used lavender essential oil and was found to protect against blood glucose spikes. (1)
Promotes Mental Health
Take one whiff of lavender’s floral scent, and a sense of calm will wash over your body. This is what makes the sweet aroma such a popular scent for many body care products! Many mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia, can be related to neurological problems.
Lavender oil is neuroprotective, which means it protects the brain. (2) One scientific trial involving high-risk postpartum women showed lessened anxiety and depression when using a lavender aromatherapy plan. (3)
Soothes the Skin
One of our best remedies for any burn is lavender. It soothes the skin and promotes healing, reducing the risk of scarring! You can use your lavender flowers to create an infused oil that keeps your skin looking great. Lavender EO boosts collagen production, improving skin health. (4) I use it in many of my favorite skincare remedies, including my Anti-Aging Skin Healing Serum.
Healthy Cookie Ingredients 101
Creating delicious gluten-free lavender sugar cookies is a breeze; you just need a few smart swaps. If you’ve already started implementing my Ingredient Substitution Guide, you already have these things in your pantry! Here’s what you need to add to your shopping list.
Christmas Cookie Blend: One of my favorite baking hacks is to add multiple sweeteners to one recipe. This gives treats a full-bodied flavor and granulated sugar texture without using processed white sugar. My Cookie Sugar Blend consists of organic maple sugar, organic date sugar, and organic coconut sugar instead of the more common brown sugar.
You know how avidly we avoid white, granulated sugar in our household! These are all healthy, unrefined sweeteners. I use this blend for my decadent cinnamon rolls, sweet potato gnocchi, and cookies.
Grass-Fed Organic Sea-Salted Butter: Butter got a bad name a few years ago, thanks to misinformation. These claims led many to flock to margarine, a synthetic food. Studies have proven that it’s actually margarine that you should steer clear of. (5) In moderation, butter is good for you and should be part of a healthy diet. I prefer salted butter to unsalted butter. Since this recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of butter, the sugar cookies are almost like buttery shortbread cookies in texture. Yummy, delicate desserts your guests will love!
Pasture-Raised Organic Eggs: Every baked good needs a binder, and eggs make these cookies nice and puffy. Eggs are high in protein and are an excellent source of omega-3s. When purchasing eggs, look for pasture-raised, cage-free varieties. I like using whole eggs, not just egg yolks, for the best texture.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: A high-quality gluten-free, all-purpose flour is a must! I recommend using a cup-for-cup blend, as it’s formulated for baked goods. Some alternative flour mixes may require adding an ingredient you’re uncomfortable with, so be sure to read the back of the package.
Organic Lavender Flowers: The tiny dried lavender bud flowers look so pretty in cookies. You can find culinary lavender online or at many health food stores. If you’re feeling crafty, you can dehydrate fresh lavender from your own garden.
Lavender sprigs can also be used in many body care products and placed in sachet bags to freshen drawers.
Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: Traditional table salt undergoes a rigorous harvesting process that leaves it stripped of most nutrients. We recommend using Colima sea salt because it’s hand-harvested. This leaves the good stuff intact! If you don’t have sea salt on hand, you can also use pink Himalayan salt.
Lavender Essential Oil: If you’d like to enhance the lavender flavors in your cookies, you can add a drop of lavender essential oil. A bit of lavender goes a long way, but will make these floral cookies pop!
Safety Note: Adding essential oils to your culinary creations is a great way to incorporate them into daily life. It’s also totally safe if you use wisdom. When adding an EO to a recipe, you must always have a dispersant. In this recipe, our healthy fat distributes the essential oil evenly. Without a dispersant, your mouth would get irritated! Remember, you never want to ingest an essential oil neat.
Make Gourmet “No-Sugar” Lavender Cookies
Homemade cookies are so special. Use your favorite cookie cutters to make your treats extraordinary. This recipe is your basic sugar cookie..with a healthy twist!
Lavender “No-Sugar” Cookies (With Vegan Option)
Servings
Ingredients
- 1½ cups grass-fed organic sea-salted butter softened OR 1½ cups coconut oil, extra-virgin AND unrefined AND ¾ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 1⅓ cups Christmas Cookie Blend
- 5 pasture-raised organic eggs, room temperature* OR 2½ tablespoons egg replacer PLUS ⅔ cup purified OR distilled water
- 1 tablespoon organic pure vanilla extract OR Homemade Vanilla Extract
- 1 drop lavender essential oil (optional)
- 5 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons organic dried lavender flowers
- 2 teaspoons non-aluminum baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and Christmas Cookie Blend until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Add the lavender essential oil, if using.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, lavender flowers, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and gently fold in until mixed. Cover, and chill the dough for at least one hour or overnight.
- Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out the cookie dough on a floured surface into a rectangle ¼- ½-inch thick. If the dough sticks, spray it lightly with unrefined (non propellant) coconut oil, avocado oil OR olive oil cooking spray. Cut your cookies into shapes using your favorite cookie cutter. You may need to spray your cookie cutters to keep the dough from sticking.
- Place cookies 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Cool completely on a serving tray at room temperature.
Christmas Cookie Blend (Vegan)
Servings
Ingredients
- 6 ounces organic coconut sugar
- 11-16 ounces organic date sugar (based on your available container sizes)
- 6 ounces organic maple sugar
Instructions
- Place the coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Shake to mix thoroughly.
- Place mixture in a blender and blend until powdery. I prefer milling this recipe in a Vitamix dry goods container. I start blending on one, then slowly increase until the mixture is fully blended. Then, I open the blender, stir, and repeat the process. The final color of your product will differ based on the brand of sweetener you use. Use in place of regular sugar in all your favorite baked goods. Store in a glass jar.
Homemade Vanilla Extract (Vegan)
Servings
Ingredients
- 5-6 organic vanilla beans
- 80% proof organic vodka
Supplies
Instructions
- Place the vanilla beans in a glass bottle and carefully pour in the vodka. Store in a dark, cool place and shake occasionally. Let it work its magic for at least 6 months before using it. Use in all your favorite baked goods, drinks, and more.
Step One: Cream the Butter and Sugar
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Add the lavender essential oil, if using.
Step Two: Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, lavender flowers, baking powder, and salt until the flour mixture is well combined.
Step Three: Chill the “No” Sugar Lavender Cookie Dough
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and gently fold in until mixed. Cover and chill the lavender sugar cookie dough for at least one hour or overnight.
Step Four: Create Your Shapes
Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out the cookie dough on a floured surface into a rectangle ¼- ½-inch thick. If the dough sticks, spray it lightly with coconut oil cooking spray.
Cut your cookies into shapes using your favorite cookie cutter. You may need to spray your cookie cutters to keep the dough from sticking.
Step Five: Bake the Cookies
Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely on a serving tray at room temperature.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24373672/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22789792/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4880962/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9229205
