Pressed Flower Shortbread Cookies: Lotus and Lavender Edible Art

Pressed flower shortbread cookies are one of the prettiest things you can pull out of a home oven. The technique presses fresh edible flower petals into rolled shortbread dough just before baking, and the flowers stay vivid and recognizable in the finished cookie. The work is patient, the result is striking, and the cookies show up at the kind of events (tea parties, baby showers, weddings) where the visual matters as much as the flavor.

What Are Lotus Flowers?

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is the sacred flower of South and East Asia, particularly Buddhist and Hindu tradition. The flower is large, pink or white, and rises out of muddy water to bloom above the surface, a symbol of purity from imperfection. The petals are edible; in many Asian cuisines they are used in salads, teas, and traditional medicine. For cookie pressing, look for fresh whole petals at Asian markets or specialty edible-flower growers.

What Kind of Lavender Can You Eat?

Culinary lavender is specifically Lavandula angustifolia, often labeled “English lavender” or “Hidcote.” Other lavender species (L. stoechas, L. dentata) are too camphor-heavy for eating. Look for buds labeled “culinary,” “food-grade,” or grown specifically for the kitchen. Provence lavender, the kind used in herbes de Provence, is the standard. Use both fresh and dried; dried buds are more concentrated, so use less.

Pressed Flower Shortbread Cookies: Lotus Lavender

Makes about 24 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon culinary lavender buds (lightly crushed)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• Selection of edible flowers for pressing (pansies, violas, calendula petals, rose petals, lavender sprigs, lotus petals)
• 1 egg white, beaten, for adhering flowers

Instructions:

1. Make the dough. Cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, lemon zest, and lavender buds.
2. Add flour and salt. Mix on low until a soft dough forms.
3. Divide dough in half. Pat into 2 disks. Wrap in plastic. Chill 1 hour.
4. Roll. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
5. Roll one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thickness.
6. Cut into rounds (2½-inch biscuit cutter) or squares.
7. Press the flowers. Brush each cookie lightly with beaten egg white. Place flower petals and small whole blossoms on top, pressing gently to flatten. Brush a final thin layer of egg white over the flowers to set them.
8. Bake. 12-15 minutes until edges are very lightly golden. Do not overbake; the cookies should stay pale to preserve the flower colors.
9. Cool. On the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a rack.
10. Repeat with the second disk.

Cook by the Best Days Calendar

The Farmers’ Almanac Best Days calendar marks the most favorable days for canning, pickling, preserving, and baking, drawn from the moon’s signs and 200 years of almanac tradition.

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Tips for the Best Pressed Flower Cookies

• Use fresh, dry flowers. Pat blossoms gently with a paper towel before pressing; surface moisture causes them to brown in the oven.
• Press gently and flatly. Whole, three-dimensional flowers don’t work; pull petals off into a single layer.
• Don’t overbake. The cookies should stay pale, almost ivory, to preserve the bright flower colors. Overbaked cookies turn the petals brown.
• Source carefully. Only use flowers labeled edible and grown without pesticides. Florist roses are sprayed. Grocery-store flowers are sprayed. Your own untreated garden is best.
• Practice patience. The arranging takes longer than the baking. Plan extra time for the first batch.

Common Edible Flowers to Use

Pansies and violas: the most versatile. Whole small blossoms press flat beautifully.

Calendula petals: bright orange-yellow; use individual petals.

Rose petals: pluck individual petals from unsprayed roses.

Lavender: small sprigs of buds or individual flowers.

Lotus petals: dramatic, pink, but sometimes hard to source.

Nasturtium: peppery flavor; orange and yellow blossoms.

Chamomile: small white daisy-like flowers.

Borage: tiny blue stars; mild cucumber flavor.

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Farmers' Almanac Staff

This article was published by the Staff at FarmersAlmanac.com. Any questions? Contact us at questions@farmersalmananac.com.

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