LAVENDER HONEY OAT COOKIES

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups [225 gm] Rolled oats (not instant or steel-cut)
• 3 Tbsp [45 gm] Lavender hydrosol, food-grade
• 1/3 cup [90 gm] Half & half
• 2 cups [170 gm] Coconut, unsweetened, finely shredded
• 1 1/2 cups [184 gm] All purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp [3 gm] Salt
• 1 cup [227 gm] Butter, unsalted
• 1 cups [215 gm] Light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup [170 gm] Honey
• [3-5 gm] Culinary lavender buds, finely ground

Instructions

Oven: 325ºF convection bake (350ºF in a conventional oven).

1. On the evening before making these cookies, combine the oats, hydrosol, and half & half in a gallon-size zip lock bag.  Mix well, and refrigerate overnight.
2. Combine the coconut, flour, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the sugar and honey, and heat just until it reaches a slight boil.  Remove from heat and stir well.  Allow to cool to 160ºF.
4. To the butter mixture, add finely ground lavender in portions, mixing well, and tasting.  The lavender fragrance must come though clear at this point, and even seem too strong.
5. Add the oats to the flour mixture, and combine well, breaking up any clumps of oats.
6. Pour the butter mixture over the flour and oats, and mix well.  Check the intensity of lavender flavor, and add more if needed to keep its intensity a bit stronger than you expect in the baked cookie.  Then cover and set the bowl aside for 30-60 minutes.
7. Roll 1 Tbsp portions of dough (which will be sticky) into balls and place 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets.  Use a silicone spatula to flatten each cookie slightly to about 1.5 inches in diameter.
8. Bake 5-8 minutes until the cookies are just set with a hint of browning at the edges.  Do not over-bake.
9. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.  YIELD: 3-4 dozen.  Store in an air-tight container.  These cookies freeze well.