Orange-Lavender White Chocolate Chip Cookies

This flavor combination may be strange but just wait, if you give them a chance you’ll discover they taste just like fruit loops!

Here I thought that going back to work for s single day after returning from Azerbaijan on Thursday would be a breeze. After all, it’s sometimes difficult to find work to do in a lab setting when you were not present the day before to at least start an overnight culture or something. Which is often why I go in quick on Sunday nights so I have something to work on Monday. But nope, I ended up working 10 hours on Friday. And then Saturday I biked 65 miles benefiting cystic fibrosis. No rest for the weary! Except that I definitely slept for 12 hours Saturday night and have been going to bed early in general  since being back in order to cope.

But I digress. About these cookies. I realize the flavor combo sounds a bit off and you may not be enticed into making them upon first glance but give me a moment to tell you a story. When I ate at a local restaurant (Alana’s), they had a chocolate cake topped with orange-lavender ice cream. Again I thought this was a weird combination but I was promised that it tasted just like fruit loops! I was in disbelief until it was presented in front of us and and it’s legit! Such a strange result from the combination of citrus and floral. So I decided to recreate this phenomenon in the form of a cookie and it worked just the same.

One year ago: Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Two years ago: Healthier Buffalo Cauliflower Dip

Three years ago: Ginger Soy Beef with Chile-Tomatoes & Peppers

Four years ago: Crunchy Oven-Fried Ravioli

Five years ago: Pumpkin Nutella Mini Cheesecake Bites

ORANGE-LAVENDER WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1-1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg + 1 yolk, room temperature

1 Tbsp culinary lavender

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp orange extract

Zest from 1 orange

3 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, lavender, extracts, and zest until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients in three batches until just blended. Fold in the chips by hand.
3. Rolls 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball that is slightly taller than wide and place on a plate or tray. Cover tightly and chill for at least 2 hours, but overnight for best results (I’ve refrigerated for up to a week).
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mats (or parchment paper); set aside.
5. Place cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 8 minutes or until edges are barely golden (will look underbaked). Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Source: Adapted slightly from my White Chocolate Chip Orange Creamsicle Cookies.