lilac shortbread

I have a goal.

100 posts by tentimestea’s second birthday. Doable?

AHAHA maybe not. I just realized how soon it’s coming up.

So, instead: 90 posts?

Perhaps. Just expect a lot of strange, unedited, half written/half rambled/half pounded-out-while-mostly-asleep blog posts. Business as per usual.

This is the last instalment to the (very short) lilac saga, which began with this cake posted last week.

It’s a quick one…and unfortunately not too successful. The sugar is very perfumey but not much was translated into the shortbread.My mother, who has a much better palate and considerably more insightful sense of taste than me, suggested that rather than the floral taste, a bit of the pungency of the lilacs came out, and the cookies tasted a bit as though they were made with cultured butter. I even thought they smelled a bit like cheese while they were baking. But in a very good way, if this does not already sound too strange.Anyways, they’re not at all appalling. The 1:2:3 ratio produces a very fine cookie–buttery and a bit crumbly.

It’s just that they’re not noticeably lilac shortbread. I wonder whether more lilacs with the sugar would have helped…So, what can be done with this lilac sugar? I came across this brilliant lilac sugar doughnut recipe on Hummingbird High, which I think would be especially nice if filled with a rich pastry cream. In a similar vein, perhaps something like scones (the tops brushed with milk and generously sprinkled with sugar) would also be able to preserve a bit of the fragrance of the sugar. Snickerdoodles are rolled in sugar? Any other ideas?

I also have a cake coming up with a lilac sugar and crème fraÎche whipped cream (spoiler: it worked! you can taste something!).

lilac sugar

Fill a jar with lilac flowers (if washed, dried completely) and granulated sugar. Screw tight and allow to sit for a few days before use.

lilac cookies

Follow the 3 flour:2 butter:1 sugar (by mass) ratio, using lilac sugar and half spelt flour. Press into a square log, roll the outside in additional lilac sugar, and chill completely.

Slice thinly and bake at 375F for 7 to 10 minutes or until they appear dry and just firm, but not browned.