Flower Petal Shortbread : Cooking with Flowers

Did you know that flowers are edible and can be used for baking and cooking? There are a lot of flowers that one can eat. In fact, for centuries flowers have been used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Victorians also used flowers for various recipes ranging from teas, cakes, salads, jellies, and jams.

I learned all these and more from a very pretty new cookbook “Cooking With Flowers” by Miche Bacher. In this first book of hers, she discusses how to prepare flowers for cooking, which variety to choose and the many symbolisms florals give.

You don’t have to be a master gardener or a trained chef to cook with flowers. This easy to follow cookbook gave me a lot of helpful tips and unique recipes that I never knew I could do. Actually, I have cooked with flowers before, but never realized I did so. Yes, squash blossoms, I’m looking at you!

I chose an easy and favorite shortbread which I knew my whole family would love. My sons were home cooking for Mother’s Day, but before they took over the kitchen, I just couldn’t resist whipping up this Flower Petal Shortbread. It was so picturesque pretty that I felt guilty digging into it later.

Print Recipe

Flower Petal Shortbread - Cooking With Flowers

I gave myself a pretty shortbread for Mother’s day by baking this easy Flower Petal Shortbread. My cooking companion was this new cookbook that taught me how to use flowers for cooking and baking. I had roses on hand and once I got started, the recipe was effortless. The results were so beautiful, I could barely keep my eyes off the shortbread. I baked this in a round cake pan, then sliced it in sections for some buttery servings, sprinkled with floral petals. This recipe was adapted from

“Cooking with Flowers” by Miche Bacher of Mali B Sweets (

Quirk Books). Servings are good for 6 to 8.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Flower Petal Shortbread

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 596kcal

Author: Asian in America

Equipment

• Round cake pan: 9 inches in diameter

Ingredients

• 1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup washed rose petals

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Prepare a round 9-inch cake pan. Place a same shaped parchment paper at the bottom.
• Prepare the rose petals by plucking them off the blossom. You need one rose blossom for the amount needed in this recipe. Wash the petals gently and dry on paper towels. Set aside.
• Prepare the flours and salt by sifting three times. Set aside.
• Using a mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter for 2 minutes or till smooth. Beat in the sugar gradually.
• Mix in half of the flour. Add 1 and ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract and ¾ cup rose petals. Turn mixer to low speed and add rest of the flour. Blend slowly.
• Press the dough into the round cake pan. Place some more additional rose petals on top for a decorative effect. Bake for 50 minutes till lightly golden brown.
• When done, remove shortbread from the round pan and slice into wedges. If you want them firmer, place slices on a greased baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes more or till edges are light brown.
• Cook's comments: rice flour is common in a lot of Asian recipes and can be found in Asian supermarkets. If not convenient, you can substitute regular all -purpose flour, as I have done in the past for similar recipes like this one. The results are just as good.
• Disclosure: I was not paid to review or mention this book, but will gladly recommend it to anyone who would like to discover the world of cooking with flowers.
• Photography credit: Front cover of "Cooking With Flowers" cookbook courtesy of Quirk Books.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 985IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition Notes: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking or baking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Did you love this recipe? I have more Philippine dessert recipes in my popular cookbook How to Cook Philippine Desserts, Cakes and Snacks.

If you need Filipino Instant Pot recipes, find more in my newest cookbook Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Cooking in A Multicooker Pot. Buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.

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