Lavender Cookies with Sour Cherry Jam These delicate sandwich cookies are like sophisticated adult pop tarts. Tender, sweet and tart. Makes 3 dozen cookies Ingredients 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 6 large egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon dried lavender blossoms 1 cup sour cherry jam 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup lavender syrup 1/2 teaspoon (or more) water Instructions Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla; beat 1 minute. Stir in flour mixture just to combine. Stir in lavender blossoms. Beat dough until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough into 4 portions; flatten each into disk. Wrap disks in plastic; refrigerate overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.) Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll dough out on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather scraps and roll out on lightly floured surface; cut out more cookies. Repeat until all dough is used. Bake cookies until light golden, about 9 minutes. Let cool completely on sheet.Spread about 1 teaspoon jam on flat side of 1 cookie; top with flat side of another cookie, forming sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and jam. Whisk powdered sugar, lavender syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon water in medium bowl to blend, adding more water as needed by 1/2 teaspoonfuls to form spreadable icing. Spread thin layer of icing atop each sandwich cookie. Let stand until set, about 1 hour. (Cookies can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container in single layer at room temperature.)

VITAMINJ CODE: COOKIE Brooch 1 Updated 8/1/09: X'mas gift 2008 for Zon.^^ My first handmade brooch. I love it.^^ I have another 3 or 4 brooch pin left so think I can only make another few. Materials: Good quality lucite Shortbread Cookie, Round Butter Cookie & Baby Red Strawberry charms, brooch pin, thick jumpring, dark green woollen felt cloth, mint green & baby blue 'Mouline Special' cotton thread, dark green sewing thread & polyfill. 'Born' 26 Jun 2008. Took me about 1h 15min to finish this. Shape of COOKIE label bar looks simple but it's sure is tricky business cutting out the shape & hand stitching the words 'COOKIE' freely. The shape and words are thus kind of irregular but that's the way I like it (handmade look). Poking the thick jumprings firmly through the thick felt cloth takes some practice too (It's easier to sling them over the thread but I like my brooch to be sturdier. Approx 5 X 5cm. Stuffed with polyfill. Looks great on canvas / leather/knitted bags, denim/cotton jackets/shrugs/tees, hats, scarves, shawls; or use it to spice up curtains, cushions or whatever you can think of. The possibilities are endless. See the other pics for back view & close-up. Read my profile to know about me and my crafts.") My own design & I'm proud of it. Play nice & don't copy.