lavender cookies

RECIPE FOR LAVENDER COOKIES.
Ingredients
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
1 1/2 cups flour
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 deg. Grease two baking sheets.
Cream the butter and the sugar together,
then stir in the beaten egg.
Mix in flowers and the flour.
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking sheets.
Bake about 15-20 minutes, until the cookies are golden.
Makes about 30 cookies.

RECIPE FOR LAVENDER LEMONADE.
Ingredients
5 cups water
1½ cups sugar
12 stems of fresh lavender
2¼ cups lemon juice
Directions
Boil 2 ½ cups of water with the sugar.
Add the lavender stems and remove from heat.
Place on the lid and let cool.
When cool, add 2 ½ cups of water and the lemon juice.
Strain out the lavender.
Serve the lavender lemonade with crushed ice
and garnish with lavender blossoms.
Serves 8.

Lavender was often used during Elizabethan times in the preparation of a wide variety of dishes and was a particular favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. The palace gardeners were required to have lavender flowers available at all times which were used to make Conserve of Lavender (a mixture of lavender flowers and sugar) and sweet lavender tisane, a drink made with lavender flowers, boiling water and honey.