Cooking with lemon balm

What to do with the leaves? They’re great for cooking. Use lemon balm in place of lemon peel in recipes and to flavor soups, sauces, vinegars and seafood. Or add it to your favorite sugar cookie dough for a delicious lemony tea cookie. I especially like to toss a few fresh leaves into a salad or a bowl of mixed fresh fruit or use it in a vinaigrette for marinades and salads. It also makes great herb butter.

A native of southern Europe and northern Africa, lemon balm is rich in antioxidants. It’s a popular ingredient in anti-aging products, dietary supplements, tinctures and ointments. It’s one of the main ingredients in liqueurs such as the French Benedictine and Chartreuse. It is also a common ingredient in herbal teas. A handful of fresh lemon balm and mint makes an excellent hot or iced tea, especially with honey.

You can also use the herb to bake a batch of lemon balm cookies or lemon balm bread, whisk up a quick lemon balm vinaigrette, or top your pasta with lemon balm pesto.