Savory Moments: Honey dandelion shortbread cookies

Savory Moments: Honey dandelion shortbread cookies

May 8, 2019

Honey dandelion shortbread cookies

Shortbread cookies for a spring or summer day! Dandelions are a fun and unique addition to cookies and are a perfect introduction for foraging.

Dandelions are a fun and easy wild edible to add into your baking and cooking. Dandelions are pretty ubiquitous and easy to identify, plus the entire plant is edible, so you don't have to worry about removing certain parts. Just make sure you are getting your dandelions from a safe places --- I avoid places that have been sprayed or treated with pesticides. I also avoid getting them from too close to the road as we have so much salt put down here in the winter. We get our dandelions from our backyard.

These cookies are a fun treat for spring and summer, plus you can get kids involved with helping to pick the flowers and pick off all the petals. My kids thought this was a fun project and the cookies are also quite delicious! I added a bit of wildflower honey to this shortbread to help highlight the floral flavor. The cookies are quite mild in flavor and pretty with tiny specks of yellow throughout (and a little green as well).

Shortbread cookies are an easy way to add herbs and other plants into baking -- two of my other favorites are using the herb cinnamon basil and making rosemary ones at the holidays.

Yield: 18 Cookies

Honey Dandelion Shortbread Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• scant 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 heaped tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup loosely packed dandelion petals
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• coarse sugar, for topping, optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Gather your dandelions and pluck out the yellow petals until you have a lightly packed 1/2 cup of petals. Discard the rest of the flower. Try to wash the petals as best you can as they will get sticky when wet.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream together the butter, sugar, and honey until light and fluffy. Mix in the dandelion petals.
3. On low speed, add the salt and vanilla and then slowly add the flour until it is just incorporated into the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Turn the dough onto a couple large sheets of plastic wrap and roll it into a log that is about 2-2.5 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the log into about 1/4-inch slices and place on the baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle each with a little coarse sugar, if desired.
6. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges and bottoms are turning golden. Let cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheets and then place the cookies on a cooling rack to fully cool.
7. Store cookies in an airtight container. They are more flavorful a day or two after baking.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Give these cookies a try this summer with all those lawn dandelions!