Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Give the classic chocolate chip cookie a floral twist with the addition of culinary-grade lavender! I use ground and whole lavender right in the lavender chocolate chip cookie dough to make a lightly floral cookie perfect at a tea party or book club (just like my iced lavender London fogs and lemon lavender macarons). Two teaspoons of lavender is just the right amount to give these lavender cookies a distinctively floral flavor without being soapy!

The best part of these lavender cookies is that you can use your favorite chocolate—they don’t have to be lavender white chocolate chip cookies if you don’t want them to be! Different kinds of chocolate will bring out different flavors in the lavender, and it’s really fun to compare white, dark, and milk chocolate versions of these lavender cookies with a group of friends.

And as bonus, the lavender flavor deepens slightly after one day, so these floral chocolate chip cookies are perfect to make a day or two in advance.

One reader, Mandy, commented, “These cookies were so yummy and easy to make. I shared them with a group of ladies and everyone absolutely loved them! The lavender is present, but not overwhelming, and the cookies bake up nice and soft with crispy edges. So good!” ★★★★★

A small sprig of lavender rests on top of a lavender white chocolate chip cookie. — Who would have thought that a little lavender in your standard chocolate chip cookie could be so delicious and beautiful?

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Ingredients for Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies

The recipe for these lavender cookies is essentially my dark chocolate chunk cookie recipe with two teaspoons of lavender! A little bit of lavender goes a long way in these cookies to give you a floral hint without being overpowering. The end result is a pleasantly sweet, floral taste that lingers.

Culinary-grade lavender. Be sure to use culinary-grade lavender. Culinary lavender is grown specifically for the taste, whereas some varieties of lavender are grown for the aromatics and can taste soapy.
All-purpose flour. The base of our cookie. You can also substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour with good results.
Salt. Enhances the flavors and strengthens the gluten in the cookie.
Baking powder and baking soda. I use a blend of leavenings to get the best qualities from both: a good rise and extra browning power.
Salted butter. I recommend using salted butter if using white or milk chocolate chips, as the extra salt in the butter balances out the sweetness from the chocolate chips.
Granulated and brown sugar. A mix of both sugars helps these cookies spread just enough and stay moist for days.
Vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla bean paste if you choose, but I prefer use vanilla extract for baked goods and reserve my vanilla bean paste for unbaked goods (read why here).
A large egg. The protein in the egg white and the fats in the yolk help the cookie dough hold together perfectly.
Chocolate chips. I used white chocolate here, but use your favorite: white, dark, milk, semi-sweet, etc!
Flaky sea salt. While totally optional, a sprinkle of flaky salt on top helps to balance out the sweetness in the cookie, especially with white chocolate.

Ingredients for lavender chocolate chip cookies. — You’ll need the standard ingredients for chocolate chip cookies, plus two teaspoons of culinary-grade lavender.

Quick Tips for Prepping Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies

This chocolate chip cookie recipe comes together quickly and is ready to serve in about a hour. Read on for quick tips and tricks, or you can watch a short walkthrough below:

Grinding the Lavender Buds

While testing this recipe, I made a batch of these cookies with whole lavender buds. The flavor wasn’t quite as strong as I had hoped it would be, so I remade it with the same lavender, just ground up. Instant success! The flavor was more pronounced (but not overwhelming), and every bite had that signature lavender essence.

I leave half of the lavender buds whole so the remaining ones are instantly recognizable in the cookies. Otherwise, it’s hard to tell that there’s a floral infusion in these cookies. (And I think it looks prettier with no impact to the flavor!)

A mortar and pestle works best to finely grind the lavender buds, but a spice grinder, food processor, or even blender will work, too. If you’re having difficulty grinding such a small amount in a food processor, add half of the granulated sugar to the lavender and pulse a few times to break up the lavender buds.

A hand grinds lavender buds in a mortar and pestle. — Grinding the lavender buds in advance releases their aromatic oils. This spreads the flavor evenly throughout the entire batch of lavender chocolate chip cookies.

Creaming Together the Sugar, Butter, and Lavender

Creaming the butter with the sugar and lavender is important to get the cookie texture right. I put my butter in the mixer by itself for a minute before adding in the sugars and lavender, then let it mix for an additional two minutes.

The sugar crystals, when moved around in the butter, create little air pockets in the dough. These pockets expand when the cookies are baking and help prevent the cookies from being too dense.

Be sure to add the ground lavender with the sugars here. The oils from the lavender will infuse with the sugar and butter and give the mixture a delicate, floral scent.

A stand mixer creams butter in a bowl. — Once the butter, sugar, and lavender are creamed together, you’ll have a light and fluffy batter with speckles of lavender in it.

A spatula has a clump of creamed butter and sugar with lavender speckles in it. — Once the butter, sugar, and lavender are creamed together, you’ll have a light and fluffy batter with speckles of lavender in it.

Add in the Egg and Flour

The egg adds protein and emulsifiers to the cookie dough, and it’s imperative that it’s mixed well into the dough. I beat the egg into the creamed butter and sugar for no less than two minutes, until the dough is light and fluffy and almost resembles buttercream.

Then, add flour, leavening, and salt. Beat together on low until the dough just starts to come together, usually less than one minute.

An egg that has been cracked open is held over the bowl of a stand mixer with cookie dough. — After the egg is beaten thoroughly into the dough, it’s time to stir in the flour.

A bowl of flour and lavender buds is dumped into the bowl of a stand mixer. — After the egg is beaten thoroughly into the dough, it’s time to stir in the flour.

Adding the Chocolate Chips

To prevent overworking the dough, I stir in the chocolate chips by hand with a silicone spatula. I find I can be more precise about where the chocolate chips are going in fewer strokes, and I don’t have to listen to my mixer bouncing up and down.

This is also a great time to scrape the bottoms and sides of the bowl to ensure everything has been thoroughly mixed together.

A hand pours white chocolate chips into the bowl of a stand mixer. — You can use any kind of chocolate chip you like here. I recommend mixing by hand to prevent overworking the dough.

A hand stirs together white chocolate chips and lavender cookie dough. — You can use any kind of chocolate chip you like here. I recommend mixing by hand to prevent overworking the dough.

Chilling and Scooping the Dough

You can bake these cookies immediately after mixing up the dough, but they will spread a lot and won’t taste quite as delicious. In order to prevent the lavender cookies from spreading and to allow the flavors in the dough to marinate, chill the dough for half an hour.

Cover the bowl of cookie dough with a lid or plastic wrap, then place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 72 hours. This step is especially important during the warm months of the year, where the dough may already be somewhat soft from mixing.

Once the butter has rehardened, scoop about 3 Tablespoons’ worth of cookie dough at a time onto trays lined with parchment paper.

Bake on the middle rack at 375°F/190°C for 9-11 minutes, rotating halfway if your oven doesn’t heat evenly.

A stand mixer bowl with a lid on a counter. — Chilling the dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven, and it makes it easier to scoop them onto the baking sheet.

A hand scoops lavender chocolate chip cookie dough onto trays lined with parchment paper. — Chilling the dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven, and it makes it easier to scoop them onto the baking sheet.

Flattening the Lavender Cookies

You can leave your cookies as they are if you like them more puffy, but I like to help the cookies flatten out as soon as they come out of the oven.

I carefully pick up two opposite corners of the parchment paper and quickly lift the entire sheet (cookies and all) about three inches, then drop the paper. I repeat that a few times until the cookies have flattened out a bit and have the signature wrinkles and divots that we all know and love in a cookie!

Lavender white chocolate chip cookies broken in half and stacked on parchment paper. — These lavender white chocolate cookies have a crispy edge, distinct cookie wrinkles, and a gooey center.

FAQs about Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies

Do these lavender cookies taste soapy from the lavender?

No, I would never lead you astray like that! There’s just enough lavender to give these cookies a distinctly floral flavor, but not enough to make it soapy if you use culinary-grade lavender.

What is the difference between culinary-grade lavender and other lavender?

Culinary-grade lavender, like English lavender, is grown for its flavor, not aromatics. Other lavenders are grown for their oils to be used in soap, so the flavor doesn’t matter quite as much as the scent. You want to be sure to use culinary-grade lavender for the best flavor. I recommend using Harney and Sons’ French super blue lavender.

How long do these lavender cookies last?

These cookies will last for about a week at room temperature when stored in an airtight container. If you need long-term storage, store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Dish Cleanup: Not Too Bad

I rate my recipe cleanups on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is only a handful of dishes, and 5 is everything including the kitchen sink.

My lavender chocolate chip cookies recipe has a cleanup rating of a 2. The cookie dough comes together in just one bowl, and many of the dishes are just small prep bowls that held my ingredients for photos. Because the cookies bake on parchment paper, I didn’t include the pans. If you bake your cookies directly on your pans, you’ll need to wash those, too.

A collection of dishes used to make lavender chocolate chip cookies. — Lavender chocolate chip cookies come together in one bowl and use only a few extra dishes on the side. I used a mortar and pestle to grind my lavender, but you can also use a food processor or spice grinder.

Other Recipes You May Enjoy

This recipe uses my dark chocolate chunk cookie recipe as its base. Because of the dark chocolate and salted butter, they’re not too sweet and totally hit the spot.

My lavender simple syrup is a great way to add a light floral flavor to iced tea, coffee, and cocktails. I use it in my iced London fog recipe, and I have more recipes for lavender drinks with lavender simple syrup coming out at the end of this month!

If you’re looking for more delicate or tea-themed desserts, my Earl Grey macarons would pair perfectly with these lavender white chocolate chip cookies!

Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Yield: 12 cookies