French Vanilla Lavender Sugar Cookies with Creamy Lemon Frosting

Célébrons avec les Français le bleu, blanc, et rouge!
(It’s the 14th of July!! Let’s celebrate with the French the blue, white, and red!)

Are these cookies really from a French recipe? Um, no.

But we’re willing to bet our French friends would love them!!

Ingredients:

Cookies:
1/2 cup Il Fiorello Citrus Blend Co-Milled Oil
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 cups vanilla infused sugar (see recipe below)
4 eggs (room temperature)
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1½-inch vanilla pod and 1 full vanilla pod
2 teaspoons of culinary lavender buds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

Method

For cookies:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease cookie sheets or line with silicone mats.
In a large bowl, cream together the Citrus Blend Olive Oil, butter and vanilla-infused sugar.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla extract.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Heat the buttermilk on the stove just until it simmers; then stir in the ½-inch vanilla pod and let cool for 10 minutes.
Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape the bean into the buttermilk and stir.
Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
Drop rounded spoonfuls of the dough onto the cookie sheets.
Bake for 6-8 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

For frosting:
Beat butter and brown sugar with hand blender on high speed until creamy and fluffy.
Mix in the powdered sugar until smooth.
Add the flour and salt.
Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
Fold in the lemon zest.
Frost the cookies when they are completely cooled.

For vanilla-infused sugar:

Version #1 (Longer wait-time)
Pour 2 cups of white sugar in a bowl. Cut 1 full vanilla pod in half and scrape out the vanilla bean into the sugar and stir. Put in a mason jar and cover with lid; let it sit for a few days to a week.

Version #2 (Shorter wait-time…for when you must have the cookies NOW!)
Place 2 cups of sugar in large resealable plastic bag. Add 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Seal the bag. Knead sugar until the vanilla is evenly distributed. Spread sugar on large rimmed baking sheet. Let stand 25 to 30 minutes or until sugar is dried. Store in airtight container. If sugar clumps up, break apart by rubbing between fingers.