Edible Flower Shortbread Cookies are beautiful and delightful melt-in-your-mouth cookies. They feature sweet lemon shortbread dipped in a sweet lemon vanilla bean glaze adorned with pressed flowers. This surprisingly simple recipe only requires a few steps and is perfect for hosting and gifting.
Press flowers - Gently remove the green stems from each flower. Place on a sheet of parchment paper with space between each flower. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and place a heavy book on top to press out the moisture. Alternatively, open a heavy book and place the parchment paper between two pages, then place an additional book or heavy object on top. Allow to press for 1-2 hours.
½ cup edible flowers
Cream butter - In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer and cream together butter, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Use a silicone baking spatula and scrape the sides of the mixing bowl walls to bring the butter mixture to the center of the bowl.
1 cup butter, ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 4 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine ingredients - Reduce speed to low and add sifted flour and kosher salt and mix until the ingredients are just combined. Do not over-mix the dough.
3 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Roll the dough (cookie cutter) - Transfer the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Place a second sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll with a rolling pin to create a ¼-½-inch sheet of dough, then refrigerate for at least 1 an hour. Use a cookie cutter of choice and cut the dough. Form the excess dough into a ball, roll it out into a sheet again, and cut with the cookie cutter. Continue until all the dough is used. Place the cookies onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with about 2 inches between each cookie.
Roll the dough (roll and slice) - Transfer the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Form the dough into a 1½ to 2-inch wide log, wrap tightly, and twist the ends. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Slice into ¼-½-inch cookies and place them onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with about 2 inches between each cookie.
Heat oven and bake - Once the cookie dough is cut and ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 10-14 minutes. The edges will be lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Whisk glaze - In a bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla bean paste until it forms a smooth glaze. If the glaze is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar; if the glaze is too thick, add a little more lemon juice.
Glaze cookies - Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze, allow the excess glaze to drip into the bowl, and place each cookie on a wire rack. While the glaze is still wet, gently place edible flowers on each cookie. Use chopsticks or tweezers to gently tap the flowers so they adhere to the glaze. Allow the glaze to set and dry.
Video
Notes
Baking Tips
This recipe makes 21 3-inch cookies or 40 1½-inch cookies. The number of cookies will vary depending on the size of the cookie cutter. The smaller the cookie, the shorter the bake time.
Don't over-mix the dough or the cookies will be tough and dense.
Chill the dough for 1 hour to ensure the dough solidifies and the cookies don't spread too much. If the dough still feels too soft after 1 hour, pop it back in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes.
Bake on the middle rack for even baking. If baking more than one sheet of cookies, place the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through.
Press and dry edible flowers the day before for even quicker prep.
Storage
Store cookies in an air-tight container and keep in a cool, dry place for up to 7 days. Let cookies cool completely before you store them in a container to ensure the cookies maintain their crumbly texture. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 1 month. To freeze, let the cookies reach room temperature then place them in a freezer friendly storage bag, press out the air, and seal them. When you are ready to enjoy them again, thaw them in the fridge or on the counter.