Spring isn’t just about wearing florals. It’s also the perfect time to incorporate your favorite edible flowers and herbs into the kitchen. Some of you might wonder why we should spend any time decorating food if we’re just going to eat it. And if we want something specific, why not just buy it? Eating is a multi-sensory experience. It’s completely different when you hold the ingredients in your hand and have the ability to create your own designs. Hey, maybe you’re not the best artist, but at least you know what you’ll be putting into your food! **Scroll below to find 14 floral desserts that’ll get you feeling like an artisanal pastry chef.**
What You’ll Need (serves 10): – 4 cups water – Edible flowers – 1 tablespoon elderflower cordial Instructions: 1. Add petals to popsicle molds in layers. 2. Add water and elderflower cordial into a large jug. Stir well. 3. Carefully pour the mixture into the molds, insert popsicle sticks, and place in freezer until frozen. 4. To remove with ease, place the bottom of the molds in warm water. 5. Enjoy 🙂
What You’ll Need: – clean, dry lilac petals – granulated sugar – 1 jar Instructions: Pour sugar and layer flowers in a jar. Store in a dark and cool spot for a few days, and shake every once in a while. That’s it! Your sugar is now ready for baking or adding to a cozy cup of tea.
What You’ll Need: – edible flowers – wax paper – 1 heavy book – meringue powder – powdered sugar Instructions: 1. Place edible flowers between 2 pieces of wax paper, then place a book over it for an hour or until pressed. 2. Carefully peel the top piece of wax paper. You might not be able to save all the petals, but just try your best! 3. To create edible glue, mix 1 teaspoon of meringue powder together with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar. Add a few drops of water until it becomes a paste. 4. Dab some paste on the back of the edible pressed flower and place on cookie. Decorate however you’d like 🙂 Visit Sugar & Charm for an amazing shortbread recipe!
Instructions (use store bought or homemade cookies): 1. Coat the cookies with a simple royal icing flood base. 2. To create a sage green color, use Wilton’s Juniper Green and a touch of yellow. 3. To create the perfect lavender color, use Americolor’s Electric Purple with a bit of Wilton’s violet. 4. Use a 1.5 tip to pip the stems and a 1 tip for the buds.
What You’ll Need: – 1 cup semisweet chocolate – 1 cup milk chocolate – parchment paper – baking sheet – decorative spoons, preferably gold – garnishes of your choice (e.g. pansies, crushed freeze-dried raspberries, hibiscus, etc.) Instructions: 1. Melt both types of chocolate in a double broiler. 2. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper so spoons have a proper place to cool. 3. Once chocolate is fully melted, dip spoons and carefully place on parchment paper. 4. Before the chocolate sets, add garnishes. 5. Wait until chocolate hardens to enjoy!
Piping Instructions: Hydrangeas – Use Wilton 1M star tip in piping bag. Add 3 different colors for depth (Sugar & Charm used light pink, creamy orange, and white). Hold tip down to cupcake and pipe large petals all around until the surface of the cupcake is completely covered. Carnations – Add buttercream frosting to the bag using a Wilton 100 ruffled tip. Make sure tip is sideways, then start in the center of the cupcake and pipe around. To get that carnation effect, make sure the frosting is sticking up like a ribbon. Mums – Use Wilton 102 tip in piping bag, then add a color of your choice! Start on the outer edge and work your way in. Face your piping tool towards the cupcake. Pipe up and down while spinning cupcake. Overlap petals for the perfect mum!
What You’ll Need for Blood Orange Glaze: – 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar – 3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed blood orange juice Instructions: Whisk together sugar and juice. The thicker the better, so add more sugar as needed. What You’ll Need for Lemon Ginger Glaze: – 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar – 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice – 1/2-1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger* Instructions: Whisk together sugar, lemon juice, and grated ginger. The thicker the better, so add more sugar as needed.
What You’ll Need: – 475 ml whole milk – 6/8 sprigs of fresh organic culinary lavender – 70 ml quality honey, the runny kind – 5 large egg yolks – 60 g caster sugar – 240 ml double cream – 1/8 pod of vanilla (seeds scraped out) – 1 teaspoon of honey + 1 sprig of lavender to garnish Instructions (makes just under 1 liter) 1. Combine milk, vanilla, and honey in a heavy bottom saucepan. Add 6 sprigs of lavender and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. 2. Remove from stove and set for 10 minutes or until cool. Taste test it to make sure the lavender is strong (once frozen, the flavor will be subdued). If needed, add a few sprigs of lavender and bring the mixture to a gentle boil once again. Once you are satisfied with the flavor, remove any fresh lavender from the pan. 3. Whisk sugar and egg yolks to a pale and creamy color. Gradually stir this mixture into your lavender mixture, then cook over a gentle heat. Stir frequently until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. 4. Remove from heat and stir in the double cream. Allow the mixture to cool, then strain through a sieve before adding to the ice cream machine. If you’re short on an ice cream machine, use tupperware and pop into freezer. 5. Check on ice cream every few hours and thoroughly stir to prevent the formation of ice crystals. 6. Serve with a drizzle of honey and fresh lavender.
What You’ll Need: – store bought or homemade pie crust (see Bakerita for a GF version) – 1 (13.5 oz.) can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight* – 1-3 tablespoons maple syrup – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – 2 ripe mangos Instructions 1. Take refrigerated coconut milk and flip upside down so that liquid is at the top. Open the can and pour the coconut water into a separate bowl (you can save it for other projects). 2. Scoop out coconut cream and transfer to large bowl. Use a hand mixer or whisk to whip the cream until it is fluffy. Add maple syrup and vanilla, then continue to whip. 3. Place in fridge until you’re ready to prepare the tart. 4. Peel mango with a vegetable peeler or knife. Position knife to the right of the center stem and slice straight down. Make sure to cut as close to the seed as possible. Do the same to the other side. You’ll be left with two large slices and the flat seed. Slice the two large pieces into thin strips. 5. Remove coconut cream from fridge and spread an even layer onto crust. 6. Place longest strips of mango around the edge of the start. Work your way in, slightly overlapping each slice. Once you reach the center, roll the final mango slice and place in center. 7. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy 🙂
