Happy First Day of April, everyone! To commemorate a new month and hopefully some sooner-than-later sunnier, warmer days ahead- I wanted to share a bright, colorful and sweet seasonal cookie recipe that I like to whip up each year around Easter!
If you’re looking for more realistic looking edible flowers for your cookies- there are plenty available on sites like Amazon and Etsy- but I really like this variety of brightly colored, almost cartoonish ones made of sugar and food coloring- which dissolve smoothly with each bite and are nice and sweet! They’re a big hit- especially for kids!
The trick is to press them into the tops of the cookies as they’re cooling so they don’t dissolve/melt too fast! I’ll explain how below!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
18 SERVINGS:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg white
- 30 small edible flowers
- Sugar (preferably superfine), as needed for finishing
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the egg yolk and vanilla; mix to combine, about 1 minute more. Add the flour and salt; mix just until combined.
3. Prepare a piece of parchment paper about 12 inches long. Turn the cookie dough out onto the parchment and form it into a rough log along one long side of the paper. Use the paper to help form the dough into a rounded log shape, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in the parchment paper. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for 1½ hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Use a sharp knife to cut the cookie dough into ⅓-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to the prepared baking sheets, staggering them and leaving at least ½ inch between cookies.
6. Bake the cookies, rotating the sheets from front to back and top to bottom at the halfway mark, until the surface appears set and they are evenly golden brown on the bottom (they won’t brown on top, so use a spatula to lift a cookie and check), 13 to 15 minutes.
7. As the cookies cool but are still slightly warm- gentle press the edible flowers on top. The low warmth and softness of the cookies will cause the flowers to stick without causing them to dissolve into the cookie on contact. Sprinkle with fine sugar, finish cooling- and serve!
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If you’re having any difficulties getting your flowers to stick, I find that a teeny, tiny drop of honey in the center does the trick- but they should dry onto the tops of the flowers with minimal melting/dissolving, and, depending on how light/hard you press down- they often stick up a little bit around the edges to give a nice, almost 3-D effect!
I love using these flowers as cupcake toppers, or on the edges of Springtime cakes, or even just as decorations on Easter platters and plates. They’re pretty fun and make anything feel a little more festive!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 