Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
No time to make the frosting? Simply top the cupcakes with sweetened whipped cream. Find dried lavender buds or tea in spice stores, high-end markets, or amazon.com. Use food coloring to dye the frosting pale purple, if desired.
How to Make It
Step 1
Prepare Cupcakes: Whisk together first 2 ingredients in a medium saucepan; whisk in coconut water and sparkling beverage. Cook over medium-low heat 2 minutes, whisking just until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and whisk in lemon juice. Let stand 2 minutes.
Step 2
Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Spoon 1/4 cup gelatin mixture into each cup of pan. Chill 4 hours or until completely set.
Step 3
Gently run a small knife around the edges of each muffin cup, and invert a baking sheet over muffin pan. Holding baking sheet and pan together, invert and hold under hot running water until gelatin cakes unmold from muffin pan onto baking sheet.
Step 4
Place 12 baking cups on a serving tray; place 1 cookie in each baking cup. Top each with a gelatin cake. Chill 1 to 2 hours.
Step 5
Meanwhile, prepare Frosting: Process lavender and 1 cup sugar in a food processor 1 minute or until lavender is finely crushed.
Step 6
Pour water to depth of 2 inches into bottom of a double boiler over medium-low heat; bring to a simmer. Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and lavender mixture in top of double boiler over simmering water. Cook mixture, whisking constantly, 9 to 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°.
Step 7
Remove from heat, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer, using whisk attachment, 3 to 4 minutes or until stiff, glossy peaks form. Stir in vanilla.
Step 8
Spoon frosting into a zip-top plastic freezer bag. (Do not seal.) Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe frosting onto each gelatin cupcake. Serve immediately.
Step 9
*1 additional cup lemon-flavored sparkling beverage may substitute.
Step 10
Note: Feel free to make these using a jumbo or mini muffin pan.
