Millcroft Inn & Spa’s Strawberry Lavender Jam Shortcake Cookies

Strawberry season is here and there are many ways to incorporate this delicious fruit into your recipes this summer. Think fresh summer salads and delicious cocktails, but the best way to enjoy them may just be baked in a cookie like these Strawberry Lavender Jam Shortcake Cookies courtesy of Pastry Chef Karen Souillet from Headwaters Restaurant at Millcroft Inn & Spa. Perfect to bring along for a picnic lunch by the water or for tea time on the porch. You will love how the lavender compliments the bold strawberry sweetness! A perfect flavour combination for summer.

Strawberry Lavender Jam Shortcake Cookies

Compliments of Pastry Chef Karen Souillet from Headwaters Restaurant at Millcroft Inn & Spa.

Yields 12 cookies

Ingredients:

1 lb Strawberries with tops removed
1 lb Granulated sugar
12 – 15 Lavender stems with flowers
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp Lemon zest
1 cup All purpose flour
¼ cup Superfine granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
½ cup Cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Drop of vanilla extract
1 jar Devon cream

Method for Jam:

1. Toss strawberries and sugar into a bowl. Place half of the lavender stems on top of berry mixture and refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove lavender stems from the strawberries and discard.
3. Add berries to a large non-aluminum pan saucepan.
4. Tie the remaining lavender stems together with kitchen string and add to saucepan.
5. Add lemon juice and zest to mixture and cook over medium heat. When mixture comes to a boil, continue cooking for 20-25 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and skim foam from top. Discard lavender bundle. Jam will keep up to three days, covered, in the refrigerator.
7. Makes 3 ½ cups.

Method for cookies:

1. Blend flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor. Add butter and vanilla, and mix just until ingredients form a dough.
2. Remove from the processor and form dough into a ball by hand, then flatten. Wrap dough in cling film and chill for at least an hour or up to 2 days.
3. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
4. Lightly flour rolling pin and work surface. Roll out dough into a ¼” thick dough. Using a 1 ¾ “round cutter, cut dough rerolling scraps as necessary to form about 24 rounds.
5. Arrange cookies on baking sheets, about 1” apart, and bake in the middle of the oven until the edge of the cookies are a pale golden color, approximately 10-15 minutes.
6. Cool cookies completely.
7. Spread 12 cookies with strawberry lavender jam and a dollop of Devon cream and then the top cookie.

Tip:

To keep jam for a longer period of time, pour into sterilized jars just after removing from heat and seal.