SHORTBREAD WITH SPRING PANSIES & VIOLETS

Shortbread with Spring Pansies & Violets

Who doesn’t love melt-in-your-mouth almond shortbread cookies, but even more so with a beautiful fresh spring pansy or violet on top?  Nothing brings more smiles than Shortbread with Spring Pansies & Violets - perfect for Mother’s Day, garden teas or baby & bridal showers!  These tender and buttery shortbread cookies, drizzled with a touch of sweet almond glaze, are sweet, simple and perfect! 

Nothing says "gourmet" like a sprinkling of fresh colorful flower petals on a buttery shortbread cookie, in a salad, on a birthday cake, or served on a charcuterie board. Edible flowers are a fun and easy way to add color and flavor to all sorts of dishes — especially when you can pick them right from your own garden!

Shortbread with Spring Pansies & Violets

THESE SHORTBREAD COOKIES ARE BREATHTAKING!

​Although shortbread is traditionally a fairly thick cookie, you'll want to roll your cookie dough fairly thick for these cookies to support the sweet almond glaze and pansy application.  The results are delightfully delicious, a sight to behold, and perfect for any special occasion you've got coming up!

I've also included a recipe variation if you would prefer to make these shortbread WITHOUT the sweet almond glaze and adhere the fresh pansies and violets directly to the top of the cookies.  

ARE ALL FLOWERS EDIBLE?

There are two important things to remember about edible flowers:  First, not every flower is edible - in fact, some flowers can be poisonous. Similar to mushrooms, there are lots of varieties that are edible, some that don’t taste good, and some that are actually poisonous.  It is critical to know which ones are safe for eating!
 
The second warning is to avoid flowers that may have been sprayed with an insecticide, fungicide, pesticide or herbicide.
 
The best way to find edible flowers is to grow your own.  Most edible flowers can be grown from seed – double the fun if you love to garden!
 
You can also find edible flowers at farmer’s markets and in the produce section of some grocery stores, and at some garden nurseries.  Your local florist may also have sources for local edible flowers.  For online sources, try The Chef's Garden or Gourmet Sweet Botanicals.
​
Unless they are clearly marked as being "edible" flowers, the same holds true if you are purchasing flowers from the produce section at the grocery store, from a garden nursery or farmer’s market - you absolutely need to confirm that they are organic, free from any pesticides or harmful chemicals, and safe to eat.  If they aren't identified and packaged as "edible", always make sure to do your research to ensure your food safety!
 
Nothing says "gourmet" like a sprinkling of fresh colorful flower petals on a buttery shortbread cookie, in a salad, on a birthday cake, or served on a charcuterie board. Edible flowers are a fun and easy way to add color and flavor to all sorts of dishes — especially when you can pick them right from your own garden!

Shortbread with Spring Pansies & Violets

HOW DO I PREPARE FLOWERS FOR EATING?

Most edible flowers are best eaten raw. Flowers will look and taste their best right after they have opened, rather than after they have been open for a few days.  
 
Be mindful to carefully rinse any flowers that you will be including in recipes or using to decorate your food creations. 
 
When cooking with or serving edible flowers, or using them as a garnish, clean them by washing them gently in a large bowl of cold water and let them air dry on a paper towel.
 
Use edible flowers as soon as possible or store them in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container lined with a damp paper towel. 
 
Many flowers can also be pressed to save for a special occasion.  Simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay washed and dry flowers in a single layer, and cover with another piece of parchment paper.  Lay heavy books on top and let the flowers press overnight for best results.  

For these buttery shortbread cookies, I glazed each cookie with a sweet almond glaze and then topped with fresh pressed pansies and violets, covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.  I've also included a recipe variation if you would prefer to top the shortbread cookies with edible flowers directly, with no Sweet Almond Glaze.  Sprinkled with sparkling sugar, this version is breathtaking as well!

Shortbread with Spring Pansies & Violets

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON EDIBLE FLOWERS?

You may have noticed that I love to garnish both sweet and savory dishes with beautiful fresh flowers.  In addition to using edible flowers as garnish, it’s also fun to include them as ingredients in special recipes.  The secret is knowing which are edible!  Some edible flowers taste similar to the way they smell, others have almost no flavor at all – and a few of them will actually surprise you!  These are the most commonly used:

• HIBISCUS:  Both tart and sweet, hibiscus petals have a cranberry-like flavor that makes them perfect for teas and cocktails. Drop fresh hibiscus buds into glasses of bubbly and let your guests watch them bloom before their eyes.  For a tropical feeling, I love to decorate summertime cheesecakes with fresh and colorful hibiscus flowers!
• LAVENDER:  Sweet and slightly perfumed-tasting, lavender works well when the buds are sprinkled in champagne and cocktails and over desserts like chocolate cake, or sprinkled in peach crisp. 
• ROSES:  While roses have a strong floral scent, their flavor is quite subtle and fruity. Roses lend themselves well to everything from soups and salads to teas, jams, and desserts.  Miniature rose buds are also super cute to decorate macarons and special cakes. 
• PANSIES: The garden pansy and its close relative Violets are probably the most common edible flowers. Pansies have a slightly grassy—even minty—flavor, so they work well in herb-flavored summer cocktails and fruit salads. For a quick and easy spring appetizer, spread cream cheese on a small cracker and top it with a whole pansy.  Pansies and violets can also be added to salads, or they can be candied and used as decorations on cakes and desserts.
• VIOLETS:  Violets, which come in a range of pastel and vibrant colors, have a sweet and floral taste, making them a perfect companion for everything from salads to iced drinks. They are particularly beautiful when crystallized and used to top frosted cakes and other desserts.
• CHIVE BLOSSOMS:  This pretty, pale purple edible flower has a light onion chive flavor – just like you would expect!  Chive blossoms can be tossed in a salad or, more commonly, used to garnish a dish. Chinese chives (or garlic chives) produce edible white flowers with a garlic flavor that is stronger than the chive itself.
• SAGE FLOWERS:  With their soft, yet sweet-savory flavor and beautiful color, sage flowers add dimension to a variety of dishes. 
• DANDELIONS:  While you may think of these as pesky weeds, the entire plant is edible and very nutritious, and the bright yellow flowers can be added to salads. Dandelion leaves have a bitter taste, but the flowers have a sweet flavor.  Dandelion flowers can also be used as a base for homemade dandelion wine.  Be sure to take dandelions off your list unless you have an organic lawn.   
• BORAGE BLOSSOMS:  These beautiful blue, star-shaped flowers from the borage plant are actually an herb that taste a bit like cucumber, which is why they've been used in salads since the Elizabethan Age. They are also delicious in lemonade and summertime cocktails. The flowers are colorful and can be dried and candied to use as edible decorations. Borage is also a medicinal herb with anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties.
• MARIGOLDS:  Known as the "poor man's saffron" the yellow and orange sunset-hued marigold flower really does taste like saffron when it's sautéed in olive oil to release its flavor.  Dried or fresh, marigold petals have a subtle mild citrus and slightly spicy taste and add depth to rice, deviled eggs, or baked in savory biscuits.
• DAISIES:  The ordinary daisy that you see in lawns and flowerbeds is an edible flowers.  Flower buds and young leaves can be added to salads and sandwiches, and they are so pretty on charcuterie boards! 
• LILACS:  These springtime beauties come in shades of white, pale pink, lavender and deep purple, although they definitely smell much better than they taste!  Beautiful for a garnish, in a lilac lemonade, lilac cold-water infusion, or freeze the blossoms in ice cubes. 
• STRAWBERRY BLOSSOMS:  If you are lucky enough to have strawberries growing in a strawberry pot at home, and if you can bear to pick the strawberry blossoms before they turn into sweet little strawberries, they make a sweet and wonderful garnish!
• SQUASH & ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS: The bright yellow flowers of squash and zucchini plants have a delicate and slightly sweet taste. Enjoy them the classic way – stuffed with herbs and goat cheese or on pizza.
• NASTURTIUMS:  These gorgeous yellow, orange and red flowers have a slightly peppery taste, almost like watercress, which makes them perfect for summer salads.  Both the leaves and the flowers are edible and have a light peppery flavor, a bit like arugula.  The blossoms have a milder taste.  Nasturtium is healthy too, containing a variety of minerals and antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties as well!
• JOHNNY JUMP-UPS:  These pretty purple and yellow flowers have a wintergreen flavor and are pretty on cakes and other desserts.  You can also glaze with warmed jelly for a jeweled look.  Pansies, violets and johnny-jump-ups are all part of the Viola family! 
• HONEYSUCKLE:  Honeysuckle blossoms are abundant in the spring, and have a sweet honey taste.  They are very pretty in salads, and very good in tea, jelly and sweet syrups – but don’t use the berries (they are poisonous). 
• BEE BALM. This member of the mint family has minty-tasting flowers. Colors range from bright red to purple and pink.
• CHAMOMILE:  English chamomile has small, daisy-like flowers with a honey sweetness and apple-like flavor. If you're allergic to ragweed, you might want to avoid chamomile!
• CORNFLOWERS:  These brilliant blueish-purple flowers have a sweet, spicy clove-like flavor, and are also known as Batchelor Buttons. 
• DAYLILY:  Daylily buds and flowers taste a bit like asparagus. They can be used as a garnish for sweet cakes, charcuterie boards, and are good in stir-fry.
• MINT. Like bee balm, all flowers of the mint family are edible and have a minty and fragrant taste. The flavor of mint flowers is not as strong and fragrant as the mint leaves. 
• CAMPANULA:  Beautiful purple flowers have a mild, bland flavor and are so pretty to use as a garnish or in salads. 
• RED CLOVER BLOSSOMS: This common herb has sweet tiny purple flowers. When we were little, we would carefully pull the little flowers out of the bigger blossom and suck the sweet nectar out of the base of the flower – similar to honeysuckle!   

Shortbread with Spring Pansies & Violets

TIPS FOR ENJOYING EDIBLE FLOWERS:

There are a few things to keep in mind that will help you enjoy your edible flowers safely!

• Positive Identification - Be absolutely sure that you have positively identified your flowers - not every flower is edible and some are poisonous!
• Know Your Source - Enjoy flowers that have been wildcrafted or grown without pesticides and herbicides.  Flowers from a florist or nursery are likely to be sprayed with harmful chemicals, and are not safe for consumption.
• Allergic Reactions - Watch out for allergic reactions which are possible when consuming edible flowers.  If you have food sensitivities or allergies, you may want to do a scratch test before eating any flowers that are new to your culinary repertoire.  Simply rub a flower on the inside of your arm and then wait 24 hours.  A reaction indicates potential allergic sensitivity, and that particular flower should be avoided.
• Preparation - For some flowers, you will need to remove the stamens and pistils before consuming only the flower petals.

Shortbread with Spring Pansies & Violets

SHORTBREAD WITH SPRING PANSIES & VIOLETS

Who doesn’t love melt-in-your-mouth almond shortbread cookies, but even more so with a beautiful fresh spring pansy or violet on top?  Nothing brings more smiles than Shortbread with Spring Pansies & Violets - perfect for Mother’s Day, garden teas or baby & bridal showers!  These tender and buttery shortbread cookies, drizzled with a touch of sweet almond glaze, are sweet, simple and perfect!  ​

Shortbread with Spring Pansies & Violets

INGREDIENTS:
Shortbread Cookies:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
• 1-3/4 cups (219g) flour
• ½ cup (60g) corn starch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 
Fresh Edible Flowers*:
Edible Pansies
Edible Violets
 
Sweet Almond Glaze:
1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons heavy cream or half & half
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon light corn syrup          
 
HOW I MAKE THESE:

1. PREPARE EDIBLE FLOWERS*:  When cooking with or serving edible flowers, or using them as a garnish, clean them by washing them gently in a large bowl of cold water and let them air dry on a paper towel. Snip off stems as close to base of flower as possible. Just experiment with how close you can cut - you might have one or two fall apart but then you'll know how close to cut. Allow pansies to sit upside down for about 15 minutes, then flip over to finish drying completely.
2. For this recipe, I pressed the fresh pansies and violets.  To press fresh flowers, simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay washed and dry flowers in a single layer, and cover with another piece of parchment paper.  Lay heavy books on top and let the flowers press overnight for best results. 
3. PREPARE SHORTBREAD COOKIES:  Line two baking pans with parchment paper.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch and salt until well combined; set aside.
5. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a blade attachment, beat butter just until fairly smooth, but NOT until light and fluffy.  With shortbread, you don’t want to add too much air to the dough.
6. Add sugar and beat again until well blended, about one minute.
7. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until all flour is incorporated.
8. Place a large sheet of parchment paper on your counter. Scrape dough onto parchment paper and pat into a large rectangle (about ½ inch thick).
9. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough to ¼ inch thickness.
10. Cover flattened cookie disk with another sheet of parchment paper.  Cover pan and refrigerate for one hour.
11. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (parchment paper seems to work better with shortbread cookies than silicone baking liners).
12. Remove dough from refrigerator and cut with round, square or fluted cutters.  I used both 3-inch, 2-1/2 inch and 2-inch stainless steel cutters – you’ll need to size them for the size of the pansies and violets you have already prepared.  TIP:  Dip the bottom of each cookie cutter in flour before cutting cookies so that they easily release.
13. Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheets as you cut them.  Re-roll scraps of dough and cut out as many cookies as possible.
14. Use flour as little as possible to keep dough from sticking to rolling pin and cutters, but try to keep it as minimal as possible.  Using too much flour will make the cookie dough tough.  If dough gets too soft as you are working with it, just return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes.
15. Place pans in freezer for 10 minutes or refrigerator for 20 minutes. THIS STEP IS MANDATORY!  Chilling the unbaked dough will keep your cookies from spreading out as they bake.
16. Preheat oven to 325˚F.
17. Bake one sheet of cookies at a  time for 14-18 minutes (depending on size) or until cookies are beginning to turn light golden at the edges.
18. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature before glazing.
19. PREPARE SWEET ALMOND GLAZE:  To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream/half & half, vanilla extract, almond extract and corn syrup until smooth.  Add more liquid to thin out or add more powdered sugar to thicken to your desired consistency.  
20. Carefully spoon glaze on top of each cookie, spreading gently and evenly over the top.
21. Immediately place a fresh pressed pansy or violet on top of the glazed cookie. 
22. Allow cookies to sit at room temperature until the glaze is set.
23. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
24. Store cookies covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  Baked and decorated cookies can be frozen up to 30 days – layer individually between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container before freezing.  To serve, remove from freezer and place in refrigerator – allow to thaw overnight before serving.

YIELD:  Makes 20 (3-inch) cookies (you may have more or less, depending on size of cookie cutters)

RECIPE VARIATION:
If you would prefer to make these shortbread cookies WITHOUT the sweet almond glaze and adhere the fresh pansies and violets directly to the top of the cookies, follow recipe directions thru step 17. 

• After removing cookies from oven, leave oven set at 325˚F. 
• To apply pansies to shortbread, brush the top of one cookie at a time with egg white wash with a pastry brush.  (To make Egg White Wash, whisk 2 large egg whites with a tablespoon of lukewarm water until frothy).
• Place a prepared pansy on top of cookie.
• Brush pansy all over with egg wash.  I recommend holding the pansy in place by gently pressing the center of the flower with one finger while painting the egg wash on.  Add more pansies, if desired, depending on size of flowers. Pansies will shrink a bit during baking so it's fine to cover most of the surface of the cookies.
• Sprinkle top of cookie with either sanding sugar (for a sparkling sugar top) or granulated sugar (for a smooth sugary top).  Repeat with remaining cookies.
• Return cookies to baking pan when completed and bake for another 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

​*EDIBLE FLOWER SAFETY NOTES:
 
ARE ALL FLOWERS EDIBLE?  There are two important things to remember about edible flowers:  First, not every flower is edible - in fact, some flowers can be poisonous. Similar to mushrooms, there are lots of varieties that are edible, some that don’t taste good, and some that are actually poisonous.  It is critical to know which ones are safe for eating!  The second warning is to avoid flowers that may have been sprayed with an insecticide, fungicide, pesticide or herbicide. Unless they are clearly marked as being "edible" flowers - you absolutely need to confirm that they are organic, free from any pesticides or harmful chemicals, and safe to eat.  If they aren't identified and packaged as "edible", always make sure to do your research to ensure your food safety!

HOW DO I PREPARE FLOWERS FOR EATING?  When cooking with or serving edible flowers, or using them as a garnish, clean them by washing them gently in a large bowl of cold water and let them air dry on a paper towel. Use edible flowers as soon as possible or store them in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container lined with a damp paper towel.  Many flowers can also be pressed to save for a special occasion.  Simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay washed and dry flowers in a single layer, and cover with another piece of parchment paper.  Lay heavy books on top and let the flowers press overnight for best results. 
 
TIPS FOR SAFELY ENJOYING EDIBLE FLOWERS:

• Positive Identification - Be absolutely sure that you have positively identified your flowers - not every flower is edible and some are poisonous!
• Know Your Source - Enjoy flowers that have been wildcrafted or grown without pesticides and herbicides.  Flowers from a florist or nursery are likely to be sprayed with harmful chemicals, and are not safe for consumption.
• Allergic Reactions - Watch out for allergic reactions which are possible when consuming edible flowers.  If you have food sensitivities or allergies, you may want to do a scratch test before eating any flowers that are new to your culinary repertoire.  Simply rub a flower on the inside of your arm and then wait 24 hours.  A reaction indicates potential allergic sensitivity, and that particular flower should be avoided.
• Preparation - For some flowers, you will need to remove the stamens and pistils before consuming only the flower petals.

Original recipe created by Snowflakes & Coffeecakes; published May 2022.

© SnowflakesandCoffeecakes.  All images, attachments & content are copyright protected. All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to www.snowflakesandcoffeecakes.com for the recipe.
​
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