Lemon Lavender Sweet Rolls

These Lemon Lavender Sweet Rolls combine tart lemon with delicate lavender making them the perfect addition to a spring weekend brunch...

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For years, lavender has been one of my favorite scents as far as aromatherapy goes. I buy candles perfumed with its scent. I have a bottle of lavender-vanilla lotion that always sits on my bedside table. And when I am feeling stressed, I pour myself a nice warm bath, drop in a lavender scented bath bomb of some sort, & soak away my worries for a little bit.

What I haven't done, but what I have been wanting to try for months now is to start using more lavender in my culinary creations. It all started with an amazingly refreshing lavender lemonade I had at a cute little bakery in Corning, New York last fall. 

I had just never really thought about using lavender for anything else other than stress-relieving aromatherapy. It was a light bulb moment.

Fast forward about 6 months later, and I found myself browsing Amazon on the search for culinary grade lavender to start experimenting with in the kitchen. (Note: Make sure that the lavender you purchase is for culinary use & not ornamental!) I decided on a bag of USDA Organic Lavender Flowers & added it to my cart. Then I started brainstorming possible recipe ideas! 

I knew for my first recipe using lavender, I wanted to recreate that lemon & lavender flavor combination that I had loved so much while sipping on that lemonade in the Finger Lakes. The result? These perfect for spring Lemon Lavender Sweet Rolls...

Even though these sweet rolls start with one of my favorite shortcuts (yes, a box of cake mix!), they are still a little bit of a labor of love. But they are oh so worth the time you take out of your day to bake up a batch.





Most of the time spent on making these is actually rising time, so you aren't necessarily slaving away at them for over 2 hours or anything. But no one has to know that, so shhhhhhh.... ;) It can be our little secret, okay?

Let's chat a little bit about how you can use that bag of lavender flowers in the kitchen after they arrive from Amazon, shall we? Because even if you order the smaller bag like I did, you will still have quite a bit of dried lavender leftover after you make these sweet rolls...

• Dried lavender flowers make the perfect garnish for topping a chocolate cake or a scoop of lemon sorbet.
• You can swap in lavender for rosemary in most recipes. Do start with a little less than the recipe calls for though as too much lavender can cause your dish to become overly perfumed & possibly bitter. Use sparingly until you get a feel for how strong the lavender flavor can be.
• Use lavender to infuse a simple syrup. (Be sure to strain out the flowers before using though!). Then use it to flavor & sweeten lemonade or your favorite iced or hot tea.
• Grind the lavender flowers with sugar & then use it when making a homemade whipped cream. Or you can even use it to top lemon bars or cookies with.

Yield: 1 dozen

Author: Carrie Robinson

Lemon Lavender Sweet Rolls

prep time: 2 hr & 15 min cook time: 30 min total time: 2 hr & 45 min

ingredients:

For the sweet roll dough

• 1 3/4 cups lemon cake mix (about half the box of mix)
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 package of active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp dried lavender
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

For the glaze

• 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• More lemon zest & dried lavender, for topping (optional)

instructions:

How to cook Lemon Lavender Sweet Rolls

1. In a small bowl, add the yeast to the warm water. Let sit until the yeast is dissolved.
2. Meanwhile in a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, flour, and salt. Add in the yeast/water mixture & the vanilla and mix well. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise for 1 hour.
3. Punch down the dough and then cover and allow it to rise for another 30 minutes. Spray a large pie pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.
4. To make the lavender sugar, combine the sugar & dried lavender in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the lavender is well blended into the sugar.
5. In small a bowl, whisk together the lavender sugar, melted butter, lemon zest and cardamom for the filling. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
6. Once the dough has risen for the second time, turn out onto a well floured surface. Knead 5-7 times, and then roll out into a rectangle to about 1/4 inch thick.
7. Spread the lemon/lavender filling evenly over the rectangle of dough.
8. Starting with the bottom of the rectangle, roll the dough lengthwise into one long roll. Cut into 12 even slices. Place swirl side up, 6 to a pan in the prepared pans.
9. Cover with the cloth and set on top of the warm stove. Allow to rise on the preheating stove for another 20-30 minutes.
10. Bake for 25 -30 minutes or until the edges golden brown.
11. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before topping with the glaze.
12. To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth.
13. Drizzle over the baked sweet rolls. Sprinkle a little more lemon zest & dried lavender over top.
14. Enjoy!

NOTES:

** If you need these for a larger crowd, you could use the entire box of cake mix & double the ingredients listed above. Using the entire box will make 2 dozen cinnamon rolls.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Have you used lavender in your cooking & baking before? 

What is your favorite recipe to use dried lavender in?

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