Wild Violet Sugar Cookies
Wild violets are carpets of tiny purple flowers that line the forest floor. They have various symbolic meanings in different cultures. Many consider the delicate flowers to be a symbol of love or humility. Wild violets (Viola odorata) are edible and are used in food and drinks. Fairies use wild violet tea to heal broken hearts. You can forage for wild violets in early spring and dry them, or you can purchase dried wild violets at farmers’ markets or online. These tender sugar cookies made with dried wild violets can be shared as tokens of love and friendship.
Makes18 cookies
Ingredients
- Cookies
- 7 tablespoons (99 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (40 g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (1 g) crushed dried culinary-grade wild violet flowers
- 1 1/4 cup (159 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
Icing- 1 cup (123 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) violet syrup
- 1 - 2 tablespoon (15–30 ml) half-and-half, room temperature
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- Lilac gel food coloring
- 18 pressed wild violet flowers
INSTRUCTIONS
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First, make the cookies. In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and salt with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk until it is well combined. Mix in the vanilla and crushed violets until they are well combined.
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On low speed, mix in the flour just until it is combined. Form the dough into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
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Roll the dough to ¼-inch (0.6-cm) thickness. Cut out cookies using a 2¼-inch (5.7-cm) round cookie cutter, rerolling scraps as needed. Place the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the cookies are set and the edges are light golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
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Next, make the icing. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, violet syrup, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of half-and-half and salt. Add additional half-and-half as needed to reach the desired consistency. Add the food coloring a little at a time, with the tip of a toothpick, until the desired shade of lavender is achieved. Spread the icing onto the cooled cookies. Top each cookie with a pressed violet flower.
Credit:
Reprinted with permission from Enchanted Baking by Mari Vasseur. Page Street Publishing Co. 2024. Photo credit: Mari Vasseur.
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