Makes 15 to 20 pieces

Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cool unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons dried or fresh lavender flowers

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter until soft in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the ¼ cup sugar and mix until incorporated. Stir together the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix at low speed just until the ingredients are almost incorporated, then add the lavender and mix until the dough starts to come together. Flour a work surface, turn the dough onto it, and knead it 5 to 10 times, to bring the dough together and smooth it out.

Reflour your work surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a little less than 1/4 inch thick fit the 8 X 10 inch baking pan lined with parchment. Prick the shortbread all over with a fork, or use a pique-vite (dough docker) if you’ve got one, to prevent any buckling or shrinking. Sprinkle the surface evenly with 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar.

Bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, deflate the dough by knocking the pan once against the oven rack then rotate the pan to ensure even cooking and a flat surface. Bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until very lightly browned. As soon as it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the surface evenly with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Let cool about 5 minutes.

Using a very sharp knife, cut into three rows by 5 rows making about 1 ½ -inch X 3-inch bars. Let cool completely in the pan. Remove from the pan and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.