Lavender biscuits

I thought today I needed to celebrate having lost a stone (7 kilos!!) in the last 6 weeks, which caused me much strive and suffering.

So, today I baked.

I had tried these only once from a friend (yes, L, you!), and coveted them since.

After extensive research on the Internet (and lots of fantasizing about food late at night), today I finally made them. And the result is superb, although I only allowed myself a quarter of a biscuit so far, but, as I write, the afternoon is still long.

Here is the recipe, adapted from a recipe by Meeester Nik.

Ingredients:

125g (4.5oz) of butter, softened
100g (3.5oz) of caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons of lavender flowers (I used dried flowers from the garden, the original uses fresh ones)
150g (5.25oz) of 00 flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoon of coarsely chopped lemon zest

Directions:

Pre-heat oven at 180 degrees C (how many F?).

Cream butter and sugar, add beaten egg until nice and fluffy. Add flour and baking powder together. Mix might look dry at first but if you use an electric whisk and or insist with elbow grease it will go fluffy and amalgamated eventually.

Last but not least, add the lavender flowers and the lemon zest. My biscuits came out very aromatic, so you can play with measures here; other recipes use only 2 teaspoons of lavender.

Spoon the mixture on baking tray the size of a golf ball leaving some space for expanding, and put in oven for 15-20 minutes.








Although I am a through and through coffee lover, I would say these complement tea better, especially if it's the Lavender Tea I buy from my favorite tea house, High Tea of Highgate.

My summer

I realised I haven't properly anything all summer. As I am still on leave, I spent June, July and August in Italy at my parents' place with little S. It was not a particularly eventful summer, but rather a nicely lazy (as much as a 7 to 10 months old allows), slow kind of time.

Here are the highlights in pictures:

Someone learned how to stand

 

 

 

 

 

U2 in Turin

Lots of eating al fresco (notice the bunting at the back, made by me, finally!!)

Master Horticulturist at on of his best (another of his best included all the veggies little S and I enjoyed of all summer)

I am sure I did something else... oh yes, reading!

One Pearl Button is in Nafplio

Ally from One Pearl Button has posted some beautiful pictures from her archaeological holidays in Nafplio, one of the prettiest towns in Greece. Her amazing photography brought back lovely memories of Greece. I haven't been in a decade now, and I miss it dearly. And I'd like to show it to Master Horticulturist and little S too...

Head over Ally's blog and make it a favourite, she posts amazing pictures and funky crafty tutorials too.