Undecided whether to give readers a recipe that made a whopping 6 dozen tea cakes, or cut the recipe in half and end up with leftover coconut-lime mixture, I came up with the following options:
- Make a ton of tea cakes. (Hey, they’re small. And light. And irresistible.)
- Make a half batch and use the leftover coconut and lime mixture on a salad or vegetables.
- Make a half batch and use the leftover mixture to make a kick-ass cocktail!
I’m pretty sure you know which route I took.
Waste not, want not, right?
So…the recipe will give you approximately 3 dozen dainty, soft, refreshing tea cakes. (Definitely more cake than cookie.) You can double it easily if you’d like, but then you won’t be able to make yourself a Tempting Tropical Fizz. Your call!
Making these cookies will require a couple of special ingredients and a little advance preparation. You will need to thoroughly chill a can of coconut milk so that you can pour out the separated liquid and keep the solids. Try to find coconut milk that is high in fat. If it doesn’t say so on the front, compare the nutritional information on all of your options to pick the one that has a higher fat content. Here’s what you’re looking for:
I used lavender sugar in this recipe. I keep a jar of sugar mixed with culinary lavender in my pantry at all times, so my sugar was very flavorful and I just sifted out the lavender buds. (I mix sugar and lavender buds in a mason jar – 1 heaping tablespoon of buds per cup of sugar – and let it sit at least one week.) If you don’t happen to have lavender sugar sitting around, you can blend together one cup of sugar (if you’re doubling the recipe) and two teaspoons of culinary lavender in a blender until the lavender pieces are very fine.
You’ll find that the subtle flavor of lavender and lime isn’t overwhelming at all; it’s a wonderful combination.
| Lavender Lime Tea Cakes - and a Bonus Cocktail! | Print |
- 1 can (13.5 oz) CHILLED coconut milk...preferably a brand with a higher fat content.
- zest and juice from 2 small limes (approximately 2 tablespoons juice).
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- ½ cup lavender sugar *see instructions
- 1 egg plus 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla ( I used clear vanilla for this, but that's optional)
- 2½ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- * To make lavender sugar, either start a week ahead of time and combine ½ cup sugar with 2 teaspoons culinary lavender in an airtight container (sift out the lavender buds before using) OR for immediate use, combine ½ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon culinary lavender in a blender and blend until the lavender is ground into small particles.
- Heat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
- Drain liquid from thoroughly chilled, canned coconut milk, and reserve for another use if desired. Place coconut solids in a small bowl.
- Add lime zest and juice to coconut solids and stir well. Place in refrigerator.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and lavender sugar together well.
- Add egg, egg white, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Remove coconut mixture from the refrigerator and give it a stir. Measure out ½ cup of the mixture and put the rest away for another use.
- Add ½ cup of coconut mixture to the bowl, stirring until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low just until incorporated. Batter will be thick and sticky.
- Dough can be scooped using a small cookie scoop or level tablespoon, or you can pipe it with a pastry bag and rosette tip. (The cakes won't hold the shape well, but you will still see design on the top of the baked cakes if you pipe them.)
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies is turning a golden brown. The top will not brown.
- Remove to a cooling rack, and when the cakes are just barely warm, shake them gently in powdered sugar.
Drain the liquid and keep the solids!
Somewhere between batter and dough. It’s soft and sticky!
You can scoop…
Or pipe. Don’t expect them to hold the rosette shape, but there will be design on the top of the baked cakes.
Only the bottoms should turn golden brown.
Dust with powdered sugar. (See the shape? These were piped.)
Sooooo, ready for that cocktail yet?
TEMPTING TROPICAL FIZZ
Drop a heaping spoonful of the coconut milk and lime mixture into a glass. Add 1 pineapple slice and about 1/4 cup of pineapple juice (or more to taste). Add clear rum to taste, and top with sparkling mineral water. Give it a quick stir – it should be quite frothy!
I used approximately equal amounts of all 4 ingredients, which made a tart, refreshing drink. If you’d like it to be sweeter, add more pineapple juice or a little simple syrup.
Cheers!
Lorinda