Sweet, buttery and crisp cookies decorated with edible pansies. The pansies are blooming so beautifully in the garden that it would be a shame not to use them ;). The flowers are not baked, as they would lose their colour. Instead, they are attached to the cookies after baking. These sugar-coated cookies with pansies make a lovely edible gift and are perfect for celebrations such as christenings or First Communion parties. Besides pansies, you can also decorate the cookies with rose petals, marigolds or violets. A simple shortbread recipe that always turns out beautifully!
Makes 24 cookies.
Ingredients for the shortbread cookies:
- 90 g cold butter
- 50 g icing sugar
- 180 g plain flour
- 2 egg yolks, from large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla pod
- a pinch of salt
- 24 freshly picked pansy flowers (or more if the flowers are small)
Arrange the pansy flowers on a sheet of baking paper and flatten them gently. Cover with another sheet of baking paper and place a heavy flat tray or board on top. Leave them pressed while preparing the dough.
Sift the flour, add the butter and rub together quickly until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar, egg yolks, salt and vanilla, then quickly knead into a dough (you can also prepare it in a food processor). Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
After chilling, roll the dough out to a thickness of about 2–3 mm, lightly dusting with flour if necessary. Cut out cookies approximately 7 cm in diameter and place them on baking trays lined with baking paper, leaving a little space between each one.
Bake at 180°C for about 12 minutes, until lightly golden. For best results, preheat the oven to 200°C and lower the temperature to 180°C once the cookies are placed inside. Transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack.
Additionally:
- a small amount of egg white (for example, pasteurised egg white)
- caster sugar
While the cookies are still warm, brush each one lightly with egg white and gently press a pansy onto the surface. Brush the flower lightly with a small amount of egg white and dip the top of the cookie into the sugar so it sticks.
Store the shortbread cookies with pansies in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Enjoy!
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