Sourdough Lavender London Fog Cookies
These Sourdough Lavender London Fog Cookies combine the delicate flavors of Earl Grey tea and lavender flowers with a tangy sourdough twist. These buttery-soft cookies are lovely for gifting, spring gatherings, or any time you want an elevated and fancy (but also simple-to-make) treat.
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 123kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 264 g all-purpose flour 2 cups + 3 tbsp
- 3 g Earl Grey loose tea about 3 tea bags, 1 tbsp
- 1 g culinary lavender 1/2 tsp
- 2 g baking powder 1/2 tsp
- 1.25 g baking soda 1/4 tsp
- 1.5 g coarse kosher salt 1/4 tsp
- 226 g unsalted butter softened, 1 cup
- 250 g granulated sugar plus more for garnish, 1 1/4 cup
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 g sourdough starter discard 1/4 cup
- 9 g vanilla 2 tsp
- Dried blue cornflowers optional
Instructions
Prepare the Cookie Dough
- Crush the tea and lavender. Before beginning, crush the Earl Grey tea and lavender into small pieces. You can use a spice grinder if you have one. I just crush mine by hand or with a mortar and pestle.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, Earl Grey, lavender, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula to ensure everything is well-mixed.
- Add the wet ingredients. Drop the speed to low (or if you are clumsy like me, turn it off). Add the whole egg, egg yolk, sourdough discard, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed just until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Incorporate the dry ingredients. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed for 30-45 seconds or until the flour is mostly combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and continue mixing on low until no dry flour remains, about 30-45 seconds more.
- Chill the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the dough in the refrigerator. At this point, you can let it chill for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
To Bake
- Preheat the oven and prep the baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or prepare a stone cookie sheet.
- Prepare the sugar coating. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of granulated sugar onto a plate. Set aside.
- Form the cookies. Scoop 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Then, roll the ball in the sugar, coating it on all sides. Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each.
- Bake the cookies. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden and the center is set but still soft.
- Cool the cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat as needed. If you have more dough than will fit on a single cookie sheet, keep the extra in the fridge between batches. Repeat steps 3-5 for the remaining dough.
- Optional garnish. For a decorative touch, sprinkle the tops of the cooled cookies with dried blue cornflowers.
- Enjoy! Serve either warm or room temperature. I particularly like these cookies once they have cooled, but they are delicious either way!
Notes
- The older the starter, the more tangy flavor it will create. So if you prefer less sour flavor, use a starter that has been recently fed.
- Sourdough discard recipes can be made with active or inactive starter.
- Chilling the dough will prevent the cookies from spreading while baking, so don't skip this step.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 41mg | Sugar: 10g
