Cooking With Lavender: Give the Fragrant Beauty a Chance + Top 5 Easy Recipes, Even for Beginners

How to cook with lavender

Most of us know lavender from perfumes, soaps and scented sachets for the linen cupboard. But it has also found its way into modern gastronomy. The key is to choose the right kind. There are no fewer than 47 species of this familiar herb, so it really is true that not all lavender is the same...

The one meant for the kitchen is chiefly Lavandula angustifolia, which has a gentler, sweeter aroma than other species. At first glance that might seem a drawback, but the opposite is true: your culinary creation will not taste like a bar of soap.

Never use lavender essential oil in cooking – it is intended for external use only.

Lavender is particularly good for livening up desserts and drinks. Bolder cooks can also add it to salads, roast chicken, syrups and jams, or grilled vegetables. Remember that with lavender, less is more. Do not overdo the quantity of flowers, or you will not escape the soapy effect even with the right, culinary lavender.

Useful tips for using lavender in the kitchen

1. You can bury lavender in a jar of sugar to make a flavoured, scented sugar for use in all sorts of desserts.
2. In a similar way, you can macerate lavender to make a lavender liqueur or syrup.
3. Lavender can also be added to whipped cream, or to dairy or vanilla ice cream, giving creamy desserts a lovely hint of lavender.

Lavender and lemon cookies

Cookies are probably the easiest way to make a quick, simple sweet treat to eat out of hand. What is more, they can be kept in a tin so there are always some within reach. With the lavender ones, though, you are unlikely to manage that. They vanish at lightning speed.

Protein muffins with lavender

There is probably a muffin recipe in every household. They are quick and easy. And lavender takes them to a new level.

Protein muffins with lavender

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp quark (curd cheese)
• 2 tbsp yoghurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 tsp lavender
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 2 handfuls of chopped nuts
• rolled oats – as needed
• 1 sachet of baking powder
• a pinch of salt

Method

1. Pour the almond milk over the chia seeds and leave them to swell. Switch on the oven and heat it to 180 °C.
2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Whisk the whites until stiff; you can add a pinch of salt. Beat the yolks with the sugar until foamy.
3. Stir the quark, yoghurt and soaked chia seeds into the yolk mixture.
4. Add the vanilla, lavender and chopped nuts.
5. Grind a cup of rolled oats to oat flour, mix with the baking powder and add to the wet ingredients. Adjust the consistency of the batter as needed with almond milk or rolled oats.
6. Finally, fold in the whisked egg whites very gently.
7. Line a muffin tin with paper cases and fill with the batter.
8. Bake for about 40–45 minutes.

Roast chicken with lavender

Roast chicken is always a good idea. If you would like to give the classic recipe a little twist, you can add lavender and conjure up a lunch worthy of a restaurant in the heart of Provence.

Roast chicken with lavender

Ingredients

• a whole chicken
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• herbes de Provence
• 2 pinches of lavender
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• olive oil
• lemon slices – to serve

Method

1. Mix all the herbs and spices, the salt, garlic and olive oil to a smooth paste.
2. Rub it thoroughly all over the chicken, inside and out, and roast until golden.
3. Leave to rest for about half an hour and serve with lemon slices.

Simple lavender lemonade

In the summer months a great lemonade is always welcome. The lavender version will be the hit of any garden party – whether you invite a distant aunt or a gang of girlfriends.

Simple lavender lemonade

Ingredients

• 4 well-washed lemons
• 2 well-washed limes
• raspberry or elderflower syrup
• 1 tsp lavender
• 2 l water
• ice

Method

1. Cut the lemons and limes into thick slices and put them in a large jug.
2. Add the syrup, water and lavender.
3. Stir well and top up with ice. You can add a little brown sugar to taste.

Sweet lavender loaf with icing

A sweet loaf is just right as a snack or as a quick treat for unexpected guests. You make this one following the recipe for the lavender muffins – simply bake it in a loaf tin and add a lovely creamy icing.