These buttery edible flower shortbread cookies are decorated with fresh garden blooms for an elegant dessert, perfect for entertaining during the garden season.
Edible Flower Shortbread Cookies – The Cookies From My Gardens
Edible Flower Shortbread Cookies celebrate the beauty of the garden from the first blooms of late spring through the colorful flowers of summer and early autumn. Fresh edible blossoms are gently pressed into rich buttery shortbread, creating cookies that are as beautiful as they are delicious. Whether you’re hosting an afternoon tea, bridal shower, garden luncheon, or simply looking for a creative way to enjoy the flowers you’ve grown, these cookies transform everyday baking into something memorable.
Unlike heavily decorated cookies that rely on icing, these are naturally adorned with edible flowers, allowing each cookie to become a unique little work of art. They’re surprisingly simple to make, endlessly customizable with each different flower and extracts, and always a conversation starter wherever they’re served.
Best Time to Serve These Beautiful Cookies
These cookies are at their best whenever edible flowers are blooming. Depending on your garden and climate, that can mean late spring, the height of summer, or even early autumn. They bring natural elegance to both casual gatherings and special celebrations. Especially lovely for:
- Spring tea parties – The British tradition of Afternoon Tea is one we Americans enjoy too, and so I wanted to share a collection of recipes and ideas for this lovely gathering.
- Garden Gathering Brunch – The ultimate time to have these beautiful cookies ready to show off.
- Mother’s Day desserts – Something I love to serve to the moms in our family along with a favorite Crab Tower which happens to come into season around Mother’s Day.
- Easter cookie platters – A time of year when many of these flowers have returned to shower you with edible flower joy for months to come.
- Elegant homemade gifts that are thoughtful, fun, affordable and easily put together for a wide range of friends and family; cook, novice or Junior Baker!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Edible Flower Shortbread Cookies
- Butter – Use unsalted, high-quality butter. European-style butter gives an even richer flavor and firmer structure for pressing flowers.
- Mascarpone – Adding mascarpone as an unconventional ingredient to a traditional shortbread cookie makes for a richer cookie dough with an added tang to the flavor.
- Powdered Sugar – Powdered sugar creates that delicate, melt-in-your mouth texture that defines authentic shortbread cookies.
- All-Purpose Flour – The backbone of traditional shortbread. Measure carefully for the perfect crumb.
- Cornstarch (optional) – A small amount makes ultra-tender shortbread cookies with a soft, refined texture.
- Salt – just a little helps to intensify flavors and make sweet, sweeter.
- Extract or a spice of choice – Vanilla or a floral essence of choice to define the taste you want from your shortbread cookies. Or simply a sprinkle of cardamom or cinnamon for a warm and deeper flavor.
- Coarse sugar (optional) – Sprinkled on top of the cookies just before baking for an added caramel finish on top the baked cookies
- Edible flowers – Fresh, dry, pesticide-free edible flowers are essential. Pat them completely dry before pressing into dough.
Tools to Make These Cookies Easy
- Food processor – A food processor makes short work of traditional shortbread dough. It keeps the dough cool and prevents overmixing, which is key to achieving that delicate, crumbly texture. (You can absolutely mix by hand, but the processor gives you ease and consistency.)
- Measuring tools – Accurate measuring cups and spoons matter in shortbread. This is a simple ratio recipe, and precision keeps the cookies tender rather than dry.
- Rolling Pin – Rolling the dough to the desired thickness prepares the canvas for the shape that of your choice.
- Baking sheet pan – A sturdy baking sheet pan ensures even heat distribution. Shortbread bakes low and slow, and a quality pan helps the bottoms stay pale and buttery rather than over-browned.
- Cookie cutter – A simple round cookie cutter is traditional and beautiful for pressed edible flower cookies. The clean edges allow the blossoms to sit like tiny stained-glass windows inside each circle.
- Parchment paper – Parchment paper prevents sticking and allows the delicate cookies to lift cleanly once cooled. It also makes transferring and chilling the dough effortless. For floral cookies, clean release is everything.
- Dish towel – A soft dish towel is essential for gently drying lightly rinsed edible flowers. The blossoms must be completely dry before pressing into the dough, moisture can discolor petals or affect the cookie’s surface.
- Cooling Rack – A quick and gentle transfer of the baked cookies to a cooling rack will stop them from continuing to cook and become too hard.
How to Make Edible Flower Shortbread Cookies
Prepare the Dough – Place softened butter, mascarpone, powdered sugar, salt, flavoring, cornstarch, and flour into a food processor or mixer.
Mix until a smooth dough forms.
If needed, add a little extra flour until the dough holds together without sticking.
Chill the Dough – Roll the dough between lightly floured parchment paper to approximately ¼-inch thick.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Chilling prevents spreading and creates cleaner cookie edges.
Cut the Cookies – Preheat oven to 325°F.
Use a round cookie cutter to cut cookies and transfer them to parchment-lined baking sheets.
Decorate with Flowers – Gently press edible flowers onto each cookie.
Sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar if desired.
For especially vibrant flowers, press a few extra petals onto the cookies immediately after baking while still warm.
Bake – Bake for 12–15 minutes.
The cookies should remain pale with just the slightest golden color around the edges.
Transfer immediately to a cooling rack.
How to Choose Safe Edible Flowers
Best Flowers for Baking
- Violas
- Pansies
- Nasturtiums
- Lavender
- Borage
- Calendula
- Chamomile
- Fennel flowers
- Rose petals
Flowers to Avoid
Only use flowers that are identified as edible and have never been treated with pesticides or systemic chemicals. Avoid using flowers from florists, garden centers, roadsides, or public parks unless they were specifically grown for culinary use.
Garden To Table – Edible Flower Cookies
There’s nothing more beautiful than a splash of color across our yard, from our own garden, or a vase on a tabletop. So why not plant a few flowers that are specifically edible?
These can be edible flowers that are easily obtained from a window box, an outdoor garden, or just a few pots indoors. For more ideas, consider my book Dirt To Dish, with over 100 recipes and ideas for growing things to cook with year round.
More Flower Recipes You’ll Love
Having grown up in a Middle Eastern influenced home, flowers have often been part of our cuisine, whether using Homemade Rose Water to flavor recipes, or the actual flowers in the food, flowers can be as versatile as herbs.
Here are just a few of my favorites, and I hope soon, yours:
- Rosewater Baklava I made on the PBS program, has a floral, yet sometimes strong flavor. And yet, the chopped rose petals are very delicate in flavor.
- Nasturtium Scones with that familiar hint of a radish flavor, making it perfect for soups, salads or even small biscuit size sandwiches.
- Lavender Shortbread Cookies are equally hard to resist.
- Garden Rice Paper Wraps with Edible Flowers – Filled with fresh herbs, colorful vegetables, shrimp, and vermicelli noodles for a beautiful garden-inspired appetizer.
- Fresh Fennel Pollen Ice Cream – This exotic tasting ice cream infused with fennel blossoms, honey, and a splash of fennel flavored liquor, was inspired by my garden.
- Hummingbird Cupcakes – The flowers that brought the hummingbirds to my yard are showcased on these cupcakes that are naturally sweet with banana, pineapple, coconut oil, and finished with creamy frosting and edible flowers.
Shortbread Dough Is Perfect For A Variety Of Floral Cookies
There are few cookie dough recipes that lend themselves to the ease of pressing a perfectly round cookie.
Contrarily though, a shortbread dough is easy to roll out, chill for a short time, and proceed with shaping and baking. Besides a shortbread cookie dough recipe, often calling for butter, it works quite well with vegan butter too.
FAQ About These Flower Shortbread Cookies
Can I use dried edible flowers? Fresh flowers provide the prettiest appearance, but dried edible petals such as lavender or calendula also work beautifully.
Which flowers are safest? Only use flowers specifically identified as edible and grown without pesticides.
Can I flavor the dough? Absolutely.
Popular additions include:
- Lemon zest
- Orange zest
- Vanilla
- Almond
- Lavender
- Rosewater
- Cardamom
- Earl Grey tea
Why use mascarpone? Mascarpone adds richness while creating a softer, more delicate crumb than traditional shortbread.
Can I make these gluten-free? Yes. Substitute a quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
How To Enjoy Edible Flowers In A Cocktail
Whether trying my favorite early spring flower cocktail made with Cherry Blossoms, my late spring cocktail made with Peony Flowers, or any cocktail you create make with Rose Water, edible flowers are more than just something pretty to put in a vase!
Thank You For Enjoying This Story With Me
One of my favorite parts of gardening is finding delicious ways to bring those blooms to the table. These Edible Flower Shortbread Cookies celebrate the beauty of the growing season, from the first violas of spring to the last cheerful nasturtiums of autumn. Every batch reflects whatever happens to be blooming, making no two cookies exactly alike.
When you make these cookies, I’d love to know which flowers you used and how your guests enjoyed them. Leave a comment below and don’t forget to save this recipe to your Pinterest page.
How To Make Edible Flower Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- Food processor or hand mixer
- Cookie cutter
- Baking sheet
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 16 oz Butter softened
- 8 oz Mascarpone softened
- 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 tbsp Coarse sugar
- 3 1/2 cups All purpose flour more as needed
- 1/2 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Extract or Spice a flavor of your choosing
- 2 tbsp Coarse sugar (optional)
- 24 Edible flowers of choice gently rinsed and dried
Instructions
- In a food processor or stand up mixer, place the softened butter, mascarpone, sugar, salt, spice or extract, and 3 cups of flour. Whisk until the dough forms a ball.
- Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment paper, to about 1/4 inch thickness. Chill for 30-minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Using a round cookie cutter, press out the cookies and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet pan.
- Place the flowers on top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar for an added glaze on top.
- Bake 12-15 minutes, or until a pale golden brown. Place extra flowers on warm cookies. Transfer to a cooling rack to stop from cooking, and enjoy.
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.