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One Badass Cookie - Lavender Rosewater Cookies

• by Nancy, May 09, 2009

Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone, but this is one of my Mother’s Day presents and I already know what’s in it. That’s because I made it and wrapped it myself. (Giggle.) Doesn’t it look pretty? It’s some of the lavender rosewater cookies that I baked with a group of children to help them make Mother’s Day gifts for their moms, and I made sure to bake extra because these are just too good. When we wrapped up the gifts, I wrapped the ones for me and my colleagues too. If you don’t know this recipe or have never eaten these cookies, you are in for a treat. This dough is so fragrant that raw or baked, it fills the room with a gorgeous scent. One child came into the room where they were being made and exclaimed out loud, “Wow! This room smells amazing! What is it?” When one of my colleagues tasted them she actually whispered to me (so that the children couldn’t hear,) “This is orgasmic.” A cookie that can perfume an entire room and bliss out the taster. Now that’s One Badass Cookie. And perfect for the mom in your life too if you need a last minute gift just about now. Or one to honor yourself. Read on for the recipe, a photo of the beauties in this package, and the Badass Cookie Tip of the Week.

Here they are. The combination of rosewater and lavender in these cookies is beyond delicious, romantic and intoxicating.These are the type of cookies called “crisps” that are rich and buttery, crispy at the edges and soft in the middle. The dough will be sticky. It’s fine to make the dough the day before and refrigerate it until you need it, or freeze it in logs to bake off at a later time. For a lavender rosewater cookie recipe that will delight the vegan mom, try the one on the funny and offbeat blog, Feldman Sisters Brutal Cupcakes.
Badass Cookie Tip of the Week: To create the lacy effect of frosting in the photo, dip a fork into the icing and gently let the icing drip from the fork onto the cookies, moving the fork quickly to make long thin lines rather than blobs of icing. (The kids did the frosting in the photo, so they are a little blobby, but kids love to do this so I say put aside perfection for fun whenever you get the chance!) Place the cookies on a parchment paper covered sheetpan first to make clean-up easy. Let them air-dry.

Recipe:
Rosewater Lavender Cookies
Makes approximately 6 dozen 3” cookies. Recipe may be divided into smaller batches if you like.
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) salted butter (yes, salted. This is unusual for a cookie dough but it makes all the difference in taste in this case.)
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 t. lavender, crushed (available in the spice section of most supermarkets or gourmet shops.)
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
6 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
2 pounds confectioner’s sugar, for icing
rosewater to taste, for icing
water, enough to moisten sugar, for icing

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper, nonstick pads or grease them and set them aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Do not add the next egg until the previous one is completely incorporated.
4. Add lavender and stir well.
5. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and mix only until incorporated. Do not overwork the dough.
6. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto cookie sheets. If using refrigerated dough that was made ahead, break off small pieces and flatten each slightly with fingers dipped in a little water or with the back of a spoon dipped in a little water to keep the sticky dough from sticking to fingers or spoon. Bake for about 10 minutes until edges are crispy and cookies are lightly brown. Cool several minutes on the sheetpans, and when cookies can be lifted without ruining their shape, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Prepare icing: Mix 2 pounds powdered sugar with enough water to make a spreadable glaze (about the consistency of thin stirred yogurt.) Add rose water to taste. Spread icing onto cookies or use a fork to create a lacy effect as explained in the Badass Cookie Tip of the Week above. Add more water or more sugar if needed to get the frosting the right consistency for either spreading or flowing from the fork. Let icing air dry, then store in an airtight container.

If you have a Badass Cookie Recipe, send it to Laura and Nancy using the comments link above and we’ll test it. If it’s Badass enough, we’ll post it as a reader’s recipe in a future One Badass Cookie post and you’ll win a prize of Nancy’s book Walking On Walnuts.

see also: One Badass Cookie - Ginger Molasses Cookie

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