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May Day (or Beltane, as it’s called in some circles) is upon us, and in New England, it finally feels like spring. So, I thought I’d do a little baking to celebrate. These gluten-free vegan lavender lemon cookies are super easy to make and truly taste like springtime.
The recipe I use is actually based on a chocolate chip cookie recipe that was in the first vegetarian cookbook my mom bought for me in the 90s that I have been using ever since. It’s so flexible and basically amounts to the following:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 vegan eggs of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- chocolate chips
Over the years, I have made a few changes to this recipe. Because I do not eat gluten, I like to use either an all-purpose GF flour blend, or just regular old chickpea flour. I omitted the chocolate chips here, and cut the recipe in half (I usually try to make smaller batches so I don’t have an insane amount of cookies on hand).
Before we can make these lemon lavender cookies, we need to make lavender sugar. It’s not complicated, but I think it tastes better than stirring ground lavender into the dry ingredients. Plus, then you will have leftovers to use in tea.
How to Make Lavender Sugar
To make 1 cup of lavender sugar, process together 1 cup (~190g) of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of culinary-grade dried lavender. If you like things a little more lavendery, use 2-3 teaspoons. I like a more delicate flavor, though.
Notes on Making Gluten-free Vegan Lemon Lavender Cookies
- I tried these with both chickpea flour and Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour (NOT the 1:1). Both were delicious. The texture of the GF all-purpose flour was more traditional, but the chickpea ones have more protein and fewer carbs.
- In the same vein, you don’t have to use real sugar! I always use my favorite sugar-free granulated sweetener and they turn out great. Just be sure to let them cool for a bit before removing them from the tray!
- You can use whatever vegan egg you like best, just be sure to use the lemon juice in place of water.
- I’m making these for Beltane. I’m not actually Wiccan, but I do love celebrating the wheel of the year and the cycles of seasons.
- Be sure to use culinary lavender that is actually food-grade, and not just bulk lavender from the craft store! Most lavender is heavily sprayed, and you don’t want to be eating that.
- The nutrition information is based on using the sugar-free sweetener and the chickpea flour. If you use other sweeteners or flours, you’ll want to adjust the nutrition info accordingly (if you are tracking).
These chewy gluten-free vegan lemon lavender cookies taste just like springtime and are a perfect Beltane treat. You can make them with real sugar, or with your favorite sugar-free granulated sweetener.
Ingredients
- Juice and zest from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1/2 cup (4oz/112g) vegan butter
- 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup lavender sugar/sugar-free granulated sweetener (see Note)
- 1 1/4 cup (5oz/140g) chickpea flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and flaxseed to make a flax egg. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Cream together the vegan butter and the lavender sugar until it gets fluffy. Stir in the flax egg and lemon zest.
- Stir in the flour until a stiff dough forms.
- Drop the dough onto the cookie tray in dollops about 2 tablespoons in volume (I usually get 12-13). Flatten the cookies and sprinkle them with a bit more sweetener.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are completely cooked and the edges just start to turn golden.
Notes
1 cup of lavender sugar = 1 cup of sugar plus 1/2 tablespoon of dried lavender, pulverized in a food processor. I used my favorite sugar-free granulated sweetener.
