Flowered Shortbread Rounds – The Language of Flowers

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh requires a floral treat. Luckily there are several edible flowers to incorporate into your food including: cornflower, gardenia, impatiens, lavender, nasturium, pansy, snapdragon, violet, etc. A basic, buttery shortbread is the perfect accent for sweet, tender flower petals.

Flowered Shortbread Rounds

• ½ cup (one stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup 10x confectioner sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon extract of your choice (suggested: lemon extract, strawberry extract, vanilla extract, etc.)
• One package of edible flowers (organic and untreated)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter, sugar, and extract together until thoroughly mixed.

Add flour and finish stirring by hand until incorporated. It will have a crumbly texture but will stick  together when pressed.

Roll out to ¾” thickness and using a round cookie cutter cut several shortbread rounds. Reuse dough scraps to create more rounds.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until cookies are firm.

Remove from oven and brush tops with an egg white mixture (one egg white mixed with one Tablespoon of water.) Press 1-2 flower petals onto the top of the cookie and wash once again with egg white mixture.

Sprinkle sugar over the top of each cookie and place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes more, until the edges are lightly browned.

Cool and serve.

These delicate shortbread rounds are just as good without edible flowers, but in order to enhance your floral theme for your Language of Flowers book club meeting, consider adding the flowers. The flowers add a pretty touch as well as a sweet, interesting flavor.