My Cherished Canadian Recipe

For this month's Canadian Food Experience Project our challenge was to share a cherished Canadian recipe. It took me a little while to come up with what I would choose to share, but when it came to me, I was certain it was perfect. 

I grew up eating my Nana's shortbread cookies. Chocolate dipped, cookie pressed, plain, decorated, with a cup of tea, or without. I just plain love eating them. I know shortbreads may not seem like a Canadian recipe, but they definitely are Canadian to me. So many of our population came over from the UK and Scotland and joined our lovely country. And since I reinvented my Nana's recipe and added in some lavender bought from a lovely little Canadian farm, I know these particular shortbreads are one hundred percent Canadian. 

I chose to leave my lavender flowers whole, rather than mashing them into my sugar. I thought it gave the cookies a small farm look and pretty texture, but I know they'd be great however you choose to make them. Read on for the recipe!

Lavender Shortbread Cookies - makes 3 - 4 dozen, depending on cookie size

3/4 cup butter 

1/4 cup icing sugar 

1/4 cup corn starch

1 cup flour 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

2 tablespoons dried lavender

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

2. Cream together butter and sugar. Then add in corn starch, flour, and salt. Finally gently stir in lavender. 

3. Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter and place cookies on the parchment lined cookie sheet. 

4. Bake for about 10-15 minutes and enjoy. 

I got my lavender on a sunny morning at the Damali lavender farm on Vamcouver Island. Next time I'm going to go in the afternoon so I can taste their lavender wine too! 

The Canadian Food Experience Project began June 7 2013. As we (participants) share our collective stories through our regional food experiences, we hope to bring global clarity to our Canadian culinary identity.