Winners of the Yule Love It Lavender Festival Bake-Off

Thank you for your participation in the first Yule Love It Lavender Bake Off. Winners receive a $50 Yule Love It gift box, and their recipes will be included in the next edition of the Yule Love It Sweet & Savory Recipe Repertoire cookbook.

Friday winner: Sage Harrison's Lavender Rum Cake

Cake:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 package vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup rum
1/2 cup water
4 medium eggs
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender

Glaze:
1/8 cup butter
1/8 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 19 x 13 cake pan. In a small mixing bowl, toss chopped nuts with 1 teaspoon lavender. Sprinkle nut mixture over bottom of pan. In large bowl, beat together cake mix, pudding, vegetable oil, rum and water. Add eggs and the remaining lavender until smooth. Pour batter over nut mixture. Bake for 60 minutes. Cool a few minutes and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make glaze: Bring the butter, water and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly (sugar should be completely dissolved). Remove from heat and let stand for one minute. Add rum and stir. Poke holes into cake with a skewer. Brush or spoon glaze over cake.

Saturday winner: Kathy Bruggeman's Chocolate Chunk Lavender Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter
3/4 granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 ounces broken or chunk bittersweet chocolate
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender

Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda and add to creamed mixture. Add chunk chocolate and lavender. Bake at 375 degrees approximately 12 minutes. Cool and enjoy.