Hojicha honey lavender cream bars
Earthy, buttery hojicha shortbread is topped with fragrant lavender cooked cream sweetened with honey. This unique dessert is a beautiful combination of earthy and floral flavors!
Equipment
- 9 x 9 inch baking pan
- Hand or stand mixer
- Skillet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
Hojicha shortbread
- 3/4 cup (170g) salted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp hojicha powder
Honey lavender cream
- 1/4 cup (60g) cold water
- 2 1/4 tsp powdered gelatin (one standard packet)
- 2 cups (480g) heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (60g) honey
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp dried lavender buds
Instructions
Hojicha shortbread
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line a 9 x 9 inch baking tin with parchment paper, making sure it's pressed closely against the sides of the tin. The parchment paper should extend at least 1 inch up the sides of the tin.
- In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and hojicha powder and mix on medium speed until a cohesive dough forms.
- Press the dough evenly onto the bottom of the tin, making sure to press against the sides of the tin so that there is no space between the parchment paper and the dough. I like to use a metal measuring cup to flatten the dough evenly. Use a fork to poke holes across the surface of the dough.
- Bake for 18 – 20 minutes. It'll be soft and puffy when you take it from the oven and will solidify as it cools. Remove from the oven and place in the fridge to cool while you make the lavender cream.
Honey lavender cream
- Place 1/4 cup of water in a bowl. Sprinkle the surface of the water with gelatin powder and leave to bloom.
- In a medium skillet, add heavy cream, honey, vanilla, salt, and lavender buds. Place on the stove over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar and the honey have dissolved. This should take about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring for 5 minutes to let the cream absorb the lavender flavor. Do not let the cream come to a boil.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the gelatin until it dissolves. Let cool for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Remove the hojicha shortbread from the fridge. It should be firm to the touch. Gently and slowly pour the lavender cream through a strainer onto the shortbread. Carefully transfer the tin to the fridge and let set for at least 4 hours.
Cut and serve
- Once the bars are set, cut into 16 equal pieces.
- Store any leftover bars in airtight containers in the fridge.
Notes
- You can replaced salted butter with unsalted butter and 1/2 tsp of salt
- Please make sure your dried lavender is food grade before using.
- You want the shortbread to be relatively cooled and firm before you pour on the cream. Putting it in the fridge helps get it to the right temperature.
- It’s important to be gentle when pouring the cream onto the shortbread. If you pour too forcefully, the cream can create a hole in the shortbread, which will lead to messy layers.