Ingredients

• 125g/4½oz lavender caster sugar
• plus extra for sprinkling (see Top recipe tip below)
• 225g/8oz unsalted butter
• softened
• 300g/10½oz plain flour
• plus extra for dusting
• 50g/1¾oz ground rice

Directions

• Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
• Sieve the sugar into a bowl and reserve the lavender (this stops the lavender seeds getting broken when creaming the butter and sugar). Add the butter and cream the sugar and butter together.
• Sift the flour and ground rice into the mixture
• add the reserved lavender seeds and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Using floured hands
• work the mixture together to form a smooth paste.
• Tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently until the dough is smooth. Chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Roll the dough out to a 5mm/¼in thickness
• and cut out biscuits using a heart-shaped cutter. Place the hearts onto the baking trays
• and sprinkle with a little extra lavender sugar.
• Leave to chill for a further 30 minutes in the fridge.
• Meanwhile
• preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas 4.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes
• or until pale golden-brown. Carefully place the biscuits onto a cooling rack.
• sprinkle with extra lavender sugar and set aside to cool completely.