Crisp on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside, these Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies are an elegant, aromatic twist on a classic recipe! Each bit of these lavender cookies is bursting with nutty brown butter, floral lavender, and smooth chocolate, creating delightfully balanced flavors. Enjoy this unforgettable taste experience for a special moment of relaxation or a delightful dessert to share with loved ones.
There are about 1001 ways to make a chocolate chip cookie, and I’ve made it my personal mission to find the perfect one. I need it warm, crunchy around the edges, chewy in the middle, and loaded with chocolate. Throw in a glass of milk, and I’m in heaven y’all!
So, after years of searching and countless taste tests (hard work, I know) I’ve finally found the one: the chocolate chunk cookie of my dreams! Straight out of Jesse Szewczyk’s latest collection of recipes, Cookies, today’s Lavender Chocolate Chunk Cookies are a literal godsend.
Okay, maybe you’re thinking “lavender in a cookie? I don’t know about that” but I’m gonna need you to trust me on this one! On its own, lavender has a distinctive taste that’s floral with hints of mint and rosemary. The bright, unique flavor lends itself to the deep richness of the brown butter and chocolate in such a surprising way.
Trust me y’all, these rich rounds are nothing short of luxurious. What do you say we bake some cookies?
If you love these, you will also love my classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies, Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Lavender Cookies
- Unique Flavor Profile: The addition of lavender adds a unique and floral flavor to the cookies. It pairs beautifully with the richness of chocolate creating a combination you won’t find in traditional cookies.
- Homemade Cookie Goodness: Baking cookies from scratch allows you to control the quality of ingredients, ensuring a fresh and wholesome treat made just the way you like it.
- Aromatic Kitchen: Baking these cookies fills your kitchen with the aroma of fresh-baked cookies combined with a wonderful lavender scent. Immediately making your home feel warm and inviting.
- Perfect for Tea Time: The floral notes of lavender make these cookies an ideal accompaniment to a cup of tea.
- Sophisticated Twist: A simple cookie recipe that makes you feel like a gourmet baker without requiring too much effort. They are an excellent choice for impressing friends and family with your baking skills.
Ingredients to Make Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies
These lavender chocolate chip cookies are made with simple ingredients. Here’s a bit more about what you need to gather together to make a batch.
- Unsalted Butter: Butter is in its finest form when made into browned butter. Rich and nutty, brown butter adds a depth of flavor like none other.
- Dried Lavender: You can find it in the spice section of most specialty grocery stores or sold in bulk in the tea section. If you’re going to order it online, be sure to check that the lavender is food-grade which means it’s meant for cooking.
- Light Brown Sugar. Gives the cookies a deeper caramelized flavor. Dark brown sugar can work in its place.
- Eggs: For best results bring your eggs up to room temperature for this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds flavor and aroma. Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste produces the best result.
- All-Purpose Flour: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it out. This prevents the use of too much flour which creates dense cookies.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: Leavens the cookies and creates structure. Be sure that both ingredients are fresh and active.
- Kosher Salt enhances flavor. If you’d like to add a little extra something to this recipe, top the cookies with a sprinkle of flaky maldon sea salt.
- Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate Chunks are the star of this cookie show! These cookies are bursting with ooey-gooey chocolate, so be sure to choose your favorite kind.
How to Make Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies
From start to finish, this recipe comes together in just about 30 minutes. You read that right! No waiting for butter to come to room temperature or chilling the dough overnight, just a straight-up recipe for delicious chocolate chunk cookies.
Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough Base
- Make the brown butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook until golden brown, stirring frequently.
PRO TIP: It’s important to stand by the stove, watching the butter as it bubbles and darkens. Walking away is a big risk because butter burns really quickly. You’ll know it’s done once it’s reached an amber-brown color and small brown specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the butter from the heat and add the lavender. Let it sit and cool down to room temperature.
- Strain the brown butter, removing any of the small lavender bits.
- Combine the butter with the brown sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk together well.
- Add the eggs and vanilla to the bowl and whisk for about a minute.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and mix just until combined.
Step 2: Add the Chocolate Chunks and Scoop
- Add the chocolate chunks to the bowl.
- Use a wooden spoon to mix them into the cookie dough.
- Scoop whatever you haven’t eaten onto baking sheets and bake for 13-16 minutes.
PRO TIP: You’re looking for brown, crisp edges and a slightly browned soft middle. Allow the cookies to rest for a few minutes before tucking in!
Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Use Culinary Grade Lavender. Make sure you purchase lavender that’s marked for use in food. While most lavender is technically safe to eat, it’s more about the flavor of the lavender. For the best flavor, you want to use English or “true” lavender which has sweeter, less floral notes than other types of lavender. The wrong lavender can lead to a strong, almost soapy flavor.
- Keep a Close Eye on Your Browned Butter. It doesn’t take too much cooking to ruin it so it’s a good idea to stay close to the stove as it cooks. Multi-tasking while making browned butter isn’t recommended.
- Preheat Your Oven. Making sure your oven is hot and at the right temperature is essential to great-tasting cookies. This way they start cooking right away and cook more evenly.
- Use a Cookie Scoop. A scoop makes baking cookies so easy! Not only do you end up with evenly-shaped and sized cookies but your cookies will also bake evenly and all be done at the same time. If by chance you don’t have a scoop you can use a quarter cup measure to scoop out the dough.
- Let Them Rest on the Pan. The cookies will be a little soft when you first remove the pan from the oven and they will continue to bake a little as they cool. Giving them a bit of time to set on the pan will lead to less breaking when you try to remove them from the pan.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Add Some Walnuts: The flavor of walnuts pairs great with lavender and chocolate. However, you can also experiment with other types of nuts if you prefer!
- Try Pumpkin Seeds: If you want to keep your chocolate chip cookies with lavender nut-free add some pumpkin seeds. Their crunchy, mild nutty flavor has an affinity for lavender creating a winning combination!
- Sprinkle with Salt: A light sprinkle of coarse salt such as sea salt or Maldon salt really enhances the flavor of the chocolate. Add it to the top as soon as you remove the cookies from the oven. Just be sure you don’t add too much.
- Chocolate Chips: I love the intense flavor you get from the larger chunks of chocolate but you can certainly use chips instead. For a lovely presentation, add three to four chips right on top of the cookies as they come out of the oven!
- Experiment with Different Types of Chocolate: This recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate but you can use milk chocolate instead for a sweeter cookie or try dark chocolate for more intense, bitter chocolate flavor.
What to Serve with Chocolate Chip Lavender Cookies
- Perfect for Bake Sales! Carry these along to your next school bake sale along with these raspberry lemon poke cupcakes, caramel pretzel brownies, and Butterfinger brown butter cookies.
- Ladies Brunch or Lunch. They make a decadent treat for your next gathering along with my hashbrowns quiche, mini tomato tarts, and easy fruit punch.
- Enjoy for Afternoon Tea Time or Coffee Break. Sip on a glass of sweet peach tea, your favorite hot tea, or coffee drink!
- Give Them as Gifts. Create elegant cookie gifts for the holidays or as a hostess gift all year round. Add a variety of treats to the box such as these butter ricotta cookies, cookie dough truffles, and some divinity candy.
How to Store & Reheat Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in a room-temperature environment. If after a couple of days, you’ve noticed the cookies have gone a little stale, add a slice of sandwich bread to the container. The bread will release moisture and within a couple of hours, the cookies should soften.
Store the cookie dough in the fridge wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for several days before baking. Once removed from the fridge, the dough might be a little too firm to scoop. Just let it sit for 15 minutes at room temp and you’re good to go!
How long will lavender chocolate chip cookies last?
These cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week or you can store it in the freezer for up to three months.
Can I freeze chocolate chip lavender cookies?
Double wrap your cookie dough in an extra layer of plastic wrap or foil and freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough overnight in the fridge and then scoop n’ bake.
You can also pre-scoop the dough, which makes it easy to simply pull out a few pieces of cookie dough at a time so you can enjoy freshly baked cookies when the mood strikes. You can bake frozen scooped dough balls straight from the freezer without thawing.
Store baked cookies in the freezer for up to three months.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can buy the right kind of lavender dried at most spice shops, some farmer’s markets, and specialty or health foods stores, also online at Amazon. A simple option is to order it from a quality online source as well. No matter where you get it, make sure to buy it from a reputable source. You also want it to appear light blue-purple rather than a gray-purple hue.
I do not recommend using essential oil to make these cookies because it is not considered safe to consume.
These cookies bake up with nice crisp edges but are soft on the inside. The lavender brings herbal, and slightly floral notes while the chocolate is bitter, earthy, and sweet. It’s a unique combination that’s perfect if you’re looking for a slightly different chocolate chip cookie to bake.
Once you try these Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies I am certain you will discover the delicious flavor combination of lavender’s floral-herbal charm and the timeless comfort of chocolate chips. With each bite, you experience a flavor that goes beyond the ordinary cookie experience. Enjoy them as a moment of personal indulgence or a unique treat to share with friends and family.
More Best Cookie Recipes
All out of cookies? Don’t sweat it, GBC has got recipes on deck for you! Check out some of my FAVORITES:
- Butterfinger Brown Butter Cookies
- Neapolitan Cookies
- Key Lime Pie Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Raspberry Gooey Butter Cookies
- Oatmeal and Cream Sandwich Cookies
Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 16 tbsp unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 3 tbsp dried lavender lightly crushed with your fingertips
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking, stirring often to prevent the bottom from burning, just until the butter starts to sizzle but does not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the dried lavender, and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and set 2 racks at the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line 3 baking sheets (or as many as you have) with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
- Strain the butter through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing down on the lavender with a spoon to extract all the butter, and discard the lavender. Add the brown butter and the granulated sugar to the butter and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until ribbony and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir with a rubber spatula just until a dough forms. Mix in the chopped chocolate.
- Using a large 2 1/3 inch (#16) cookie scoop or 1/4 cup measure, portion out the dough and roll into large balls. Place the dough balls at least 3 inches part on the prepared baking sheets (6 per sheet).
- Bake 2 sheets at the same time, swapping the top sheet to the bottom rack and bottom sheet to the top midway through, until the tops of the cookies are lightly browned, 13 to 16 minutes, then bake the remaining sheet on either rack. (If reusing one of the baking sheets, allow it to cool for 15 minutes before baking another batch on it.). Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use Culinary Grade Lavender. Make sure you purchase lavender that’s marked for use in food. While most lavender is technically safe to eat, it’s more about the flavor of the lavender. For the best flavor, you want to use English or “true” lavender which has sweeter, less floral notes than other types of lavender. The wrong lavender can lead to a strong, almost soapy flavor.
- Keep a Close Eye on Your Browned Butter. It doesn’t take too much cooking to ruin it so it’s a good idea to stay close to the stove as it cooks. Multi-tasking while making browned butter isn’t recommended.
- Preheat Your Oven. Making sure your oven is hot and at the right temperature is essential to great-tasting cookies. This way they start cooking right away and cook more evenly.
- Use a Cookie Scoop. A scoop makes baking cookies so easy! Not only do you end up with evenly-shaped and sized cookies but your cookies will also bake evenly and all be done at the same time. If by chance you don’t have a scoop you can use a quarter cup measure to scoop out the dough.
- Let Them Rest on the Pan. The cookies will be a little soft when you first remove the pan from the oven and they will continue to bake a little as they cool. Giving them a bit of time to set on the pan will lead to less breaking when you try to remove them from the pan.
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These sound amazing, can lavender bitters be used as a substitute?
Oo I love that idea! I have not made this recipe with lavender bitters, I would just use a little so the dough doesn’t get too wet. If you try it you’ll have to let me know how it turned out!