It’s time to add a little color to your dessert tray with Edible Flower Cookies!! No need for frosting or sprinkles, just colorful fresh pansies pressed into mint flavored shortbread cookies.
This spring I decided to plant an array of colorful pansies in pots all around my porch for the sole purpose of making cookies. I might as well enjoy them while baking too right?! Shortbread Cookies are the perfect catalyst for displaying edible flowers. The small buttery cookie dough holds its shape and frames the delicate flower petals. Besides being addictive in taste, these little tea party cookies are super easy to make!
There are many edible flowers and herbs you can press into your shortbread cookies. I found that pansies, lavender, rose petals, violets, and sage flowers work best to add color to small cookies. Since this recipe includes freshly chopped mint, I also pressed a few with mint leaves. Don’t worry, nothing tastes like a ‘garden plant’, you will be pleasantly surprised when vanilla, lemon, lime and mint tickle your palate 🙂
Oh yeah, I totally enjoyed a stack of these seasonal shortbreads with a fresh mint julep cocktail!! You should definitely try this combo while enjoying a peaceful afternoon lounging outside.
Tips for Making Edible Flower Cookies
- Sift your flour to make an even mixture.
- Mix cold butter into the flour, sugar, and salt by hand, rubbing the butter into the flour to create thick cornmeal consistency.
- Add the chopped mint and fold into mixture with fingers.
- Work in vanilla extract, lime zest, and lemon zest last.
- Form a ball of dough and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Make sure dough chills for a minimum of 30 minutes, to help butter firm.
- Dough can be made the day before, then just let sit on counter for about 15 minutes before rolling out.
- Use half the dough at a time, keeping the other half in the fridge until ready to use.
- Dust your countertop and rolling pin with flour to prevent sticking.
- I used a 1.5 inch round cookie cutter, but feel free to use any shape or size that will fit your flowers.
- Use an offset spatula to transfer your cut cookies onto parchment paper lined tray.
- Take a pastry brush and super gently brush a light coating of egg white where you want your flower to go.
- Make sure flowers are cut from the stems, leaving just enough attachment to hold petals together.
- Carefully press the center of the flower into the dough until the petals lay flat and stick to the egg white. This is done very gently!!
- No need to brush anything on top of flower. I have coated the top with egg white and added sugar, but the result was a shriveled burnt flower.
- Bake cookies on the middle rack.
- I keep a close eye on them and remove just when the edges start to show a little browning.
- They will be a little soft, but firm as they cool.
- Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Edible Flower Cookies
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 3/4 cups (218 g) All Purpose Flour
- 2/3 cup (165 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
- 3/4 cup (190 g) Unsalted Butter cold and cut into cubes
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Mint Leaves
- 1-2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tbsp Orange Zest
- 2 Tbsp Lime Zest
Flower Topping
- Fresh Pansy Blossoms of desired color
- Mint Leaves
Egg Wash
- 1 Egg White
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sifted flour, sugar, and salt.
- Drop in your small cubes of butter and begin mixing together with your hands. Squeeze the butter and flower mixture, working until it resembles cornmeal.
- Next, take your chopped mint, lime zest, and orange zest and mix in gently with hands.
- Pour in 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract and start to work dough into a ball with you hands. If you find the dough to be too dry and not coming together, add a second tsp of vanilla.
- Dough should be moist but firm. (if you feel it is dry add a Tbsp of water..dough should NOT be sticky)
- Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Place dough in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- *dough can be made the day before and kept in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to bake place dough on counter for 30-45 min to slightly thaw. Work in your hands to help the dough become more pliable, since the butter will have hardened.*
- Preheat oven to 325 F (163 C) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from the fridge and slice in half.
- Place one half on a gently floured surface and roll out to 1/8 inch -1/4 inch thickness.
- Use your cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can.
- Transfer cookies to baking trays. *cookies will not spread much, so you can place them a half inch apart*
- Gently coat a thin layer of egg white onto the center of each cookies, then press flower blossom slightly onto surface. The back of the blossom may need to sink into dough for petals to lay flat.
- Place the entire tray into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to make sure cookie dough is cold before baking.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges start to golden in color. Bake time may differ between ovens, so keep an eye on the first batch.
- Repeat with remaining half of dough.
- Set cookies on cooling rack for 10-15 minutes before serving.
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