Pressed Flower Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Wild Violets
After a few beautiful warm days, it seems like everything has bloomed overnight here. The cherry blossoms and redbud trees are in full bloom, wildflowers are carpeting the ground, even the breeze is carrying a whisper of wisteria.
One of my favorite things about this time of year is the bounty of wild violets--they look like little fairy flowers, and they're also edible! I wanted to use them in a recipe, and I ended up creating these Pressed Flower Cookies. They're made with a simple but perfectly buttery lemon shortbread, and then topped with pressed wild violets (both the flowers and leaves, which you can also eat).
There are a few different ways to make pressed flower cookies, but my favorite method is to press the flowers in advance and bake the cookies on their own, then gently press the flowers into the hot cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. The heat and steam will help seal the flowers on top.
Pressed Flower Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup salted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
Edible flowers, thoroughly washed and dried (I used wild violets) *See note
To make:
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix until fully combined.
Add in the flour and mix just until a soft dough forms. Shape into a disk, cover tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until firm but still pliable.
While the dough is in the fridge, prep the pressed flowers. Remove any stems and arrange the flowers face-down on a sheet of wax paper. Place another sheet of wax paper on top, then weigh it down with cutting boards, books, or any heavy items you have on hand to press the flowers.
Preheat oven to 325 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut into circles, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden. While they’re baking, remove the top sheet of wax paper from the flowers so they’re ready to press into the cookies.
Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately place the flowers on top of each, pressing gently on the petals so they stick. The residual heat and steam from the hot cookies will seal the flowers onto the top.
Allow to cool completely before eating. Enjoy!!
* You’ll want to use edible flowers that are very thin for this recipe, so they’re easy to press on top. I used wild violets, but pansies, chamomile, rose petals, and borage would also work great. If you’re foraging your own flowers, always check to make sure they are safe to eat.
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