Lavender & Vanilla Bean Viennese Bows

These lovely biscuits are delicately flavoured with ground dried lavender and dipped in a vanilla bean white chocolate. They’re such a beautiful little treat to have in the afternoon. The biscuit is a typical Viennese Whirl; buttery and short yet it holds its shape beautifully. Don’t think of these as tasting like your grandmas knicker drawer, the lavender doesn’t overpower but just dances along complimenting the other flavours.

Ingredients: Makes 6-8 large biscuits
*Adapted from Matt Adlards Viennese Whirls
215g unsalted butter, very soft 
1/2 tsp salt
80g icing sugar, sieved 
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
35g egg whites, room temperature
240g plain flour, sieved 
15g cornflour, sieved 
1/2 tbsp dried lavender

White chocolate dip:
100g white choc
1/2 tsp of vanilla paste
5g veg oil
dried lavender, to sprinkle

Method
Line a baking tray with baking parchment or a silicone mat.

Tip the dried lavender into a pestle and mortar and grind to break it down. Combine this in a bowl with the sieved plain flour and cornflour and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, salt and vanilla for approx. one minute. The butter needs to be very soft with no lumps to ensure the biscuit dough is easy to pipe. Add in the icing sugar and beat on medium speed for two minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add in the egg whites. Mix on medium speed until combined and fluffy. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low until you have a smooth dough.

You can pipe the biscuits however you like, but I used a No.13 star nozzle. Spoon the biscuit dough into a piping bag fitted with your preferred nozzle and pipe into bows leaving about an inch between each. Preheat your oven to 160°C. Place the tray of biscuits into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, turning the tray halfway so your biscuits bake evenly. They should be just turning lightly golden when they’re done. Leave to cool completely.

Melt together the white chocolate and vegetable oil until fluid. Stir in the vanilla and dip the cookies into the chocolate. Sprinkle with a little dried lavender before leaving to set at room temperature.