Lavender Apricot Thumbprint Cookies

Normally I crave decadent desserts but these lavender apricot thumbprint cookies are surprisingly light and delightful with a lavender cream cheese cookie base, apricot preserves, and white chocolate.

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I’m both excited for cooler temperatures as we transition towards fall but also scrambling to post all the summery recipes I made/remade but slacked on posting thus far. Technically summer isn’t over until September 22 so I have time.

However I’d be lying if I said I didn’t also have Halloween recipes already piling up to post as well. Guess this is my warning to prepare yourself for seasonal swings in recipes.

One such summery recipe are these lavender apricot thumbprint cookies. In the past I have combined the flavors of lavender with orange and white chocolate which results in a surprisingly good Froot Loops-like flavor profile. But I wanted to see what would happen if I used a slightly less acidic fruit in the form of apricots. So I made the lavender thumbprints and filled them with apricot preserves and drizzled them with purple white chocolate because why not?

I don’t think these cookies taste like Froot Loops cereal, but they are refreshingly delicious – somehow light despite being made with cream cheese and taste like you’re hanging onto summer.

I served these lavender apricot thumbprint cookies at our neighborhood happy hour that we hosted last week and they got rave reviews. One neighbor requested I make them for their daughters upcoming birthday!

I hope you give these a try before you dive into fall flavors. Just make sure you use dried culinary lavender, because not all lavender is created equal. If you buy just any old dried lavender it is often a more bitter/soapy tasting variety and could contain more pesticides (and thus not food safe). Save the regular stuff for air fresheners/decoration.

LAVENDER APRICOT THUMBPRINT COOKIES

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Yield: 3 dozen Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 tsp salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp dried culinary lavender
• 1 cup apricot preserves
• White chocolate, melted for garnish

Directions

1. In a stand mixer or large bowl with electric hand mixer, mix ingredients in order until fully incorporated (except apricot preserves and white chocolate). Shape dough into walnut-sized balls (I used my medium cookie scoop). Cover and chill dough in refrigerator for one hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until barely golden.
3. Using the back of a spoon or your thumb, gently push a crevasse into the center of each cookie immediately after removing from oven. (Be careful not to push all the way through the cookie.) Let cool on cookie sheet slightly before transferring to wire rack.
4. Once completely cool, spoon a teaspoon of apricot preserved into the center of each cookie. Drizzle with melted white chocolate* if desired. Let set before serving.

Notes

*I used purple colored white chocolate candy coating.

Source: Adapted from my Lemon Poppy Seed Cheesecake Thumbprints.