Shortbread Flower Cookies

He was running by my house and asked if I wanted to join in on the jog. I did. I threw on some shorts and tennies and ran outside.

Joe was smiling big, like he still does, and we jogged for maybe five minutes until the conversation took over and slowed us to a walk. Along the way I kept pointing out the flowers along our path.

“Oh look, Geraniums,” I’d mention amidst a story. “Ooooh those are Irises – remind me of my Nana.”

I continued like this the entire time. As we rounded the corner back towards my house, he looked at me and said, “Geez you know a lot about flowers. How’d you learn all these?” Luckily for me, he was amused (maybe even impressed?!) and not weirded out.

I still remember getting home after our jog walk and flopping onto the bed like a teenager, hand on heart, goofy smirk. I knew on that day that I loved him. We weren’t even dating.

This was in what I like to refer to as, “the kind-of beginning” of our adventure together, and is one of my favorite memories. The full version includes lots of twists and turns, like all good love stories. But that is a feature for another day.

I still have no idea how I know so much about flowers. We had a rose garden as a kid, my mom knows and loves flowers, I took art classes from a woman with an extensive garden – any of these things could be the culprit.

I’ve just always had an obsession with delicate and fragrant blossoms. And now, with edible flowers because it’s simply the prettiest food that seems too magical to be real.

This seam season between winter and spring, I decided to grow some Pansies and Violas, purely to put into food. I was not disappointed. I’ve added them to salads, pasta, and now cookies.

This shortbread cookie I am particularly proud of because it’s adapted from a gluten-free recipe, and made to be gluten-full. Muahahaha! It’s flaky, a tiny bit soft, not too crunchy, sweet and buttery. It also only has four ingredients, does NOT require a mixer, AND can be whipped up quickly for those of us who have zero patience. Such a dream.

Try these with edible flowers on top, Lintzer style with jelly in the middle, or dipped into your morning java. Go wild!

• 

• 

• 

Shortbread Flower Cookies

Prep time: 15 mins // Cook time: 10 mins // Chill time: 15 mins

 

INGREDIENTS:

For cookies:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 sticks softened unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

For flowers:

Edible flowers (I used Pansies)

Egg white

Sugar

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk all your dry ingredients in a large bowl until just combined.
3. Make a well in your flour and add in the butter, mixing for a minute or so, and then kneading with hands until just smooth.
4. Make your dough into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 10 mins.
5. Once chilled, place your dough ball between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out with a rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick. Remove top parchment, and cut with a round cookie cutter (I used a biscuit cutter).
6. Once the cookies are cut, grab your flowers and cut the stems without cutting the center of the flower. Rinse them gently and set flat on backs. On the front of the flowers use a small paint brush or your fingers to paint some egg white on them.
7. Brush some egg white on cookies, and place flower. Sprinkle with sugar.
8. Bake for 10 minutes exactly, then pull out cookies and put straight onto a cooling rack to chill for about 15 minutes. Moving these prematurely could cause cracks.

 

Recipe very very much adapted from G Free Foodie.