Tired of needing sprinkles for birthday cakes, or cookies, and reading the label to realize they contain gluten? Want to try a new type of sprinkle, with faintly floral flavors instead of pure sugar, that sometimes tastes like cardboard? These edible flower sprinkles are a fun way to create edible, colorful sprinkles with a sweet floral flavor that pairs well with standard sugar cookies, and most vanilla and lemon type flavors.
Edible flower sprinkles may appeal more to adult taste preferences than to kids. However, if you have kids who are adventurous, like helping in the garden and kitchen, and who may need to avoid gluten, sugar, or artificial dyes for any reason, these can be a functional option. You can candy the flowers before making the sprinkles if sugar isn’t a concern.
Three are several flowers with bright colors that can be used. Use flowers with smaller petals to avoid needing to cut the flower petals to make smaller sprinkles. You can also bake with whole flowers on cookies, like these edible flower decorated cookies here. I would recommend calendula, bachelor’s buttons, viola and violet flowers, bee balm and monarda flowers, dandelion petals, lavender, and rose petals. Viola and violet flowers have next to no flavor of their own, if you want a spicy flower sprinkle then nasturtiums could also be included.
Harvesting the Flowers:
Pick clean, undamaged, and recently opened flowers. You want ones at peak of color, before they begin fading from sun and age. Harvest the whole flowers, or just petals from roses. Chose spray-free flowers from your own garden whenever possible, or source from a Farmer’s market or other reputable, spray-free, source for edible flowers. Herb flowers can also be used, like the small flowers from mint, sage, lemon balm, and basil.
Drying the Flowers:
Edible flower sprinkles are pretty much just dried flowers. So, when you have your fresh flowers picked, Pluck off the bright flowers, and discard the calyx and center of the flowers. For large petaled flowers, you may want to cut them in half. Lavender flowers should be removed from the stems.
Spread the petals in a thin layer on a clean baking tray, and place in the oven with the light on, and door ajar. Don’t turn on the oven with the petals in, or they will burn, but if you’ve baked something you can take advantage of that residual, decreasing, heat to help kick start the drying process.
Most petals will be dry in 6-12 hours, large rose petals or large pansy petals may take a bit longer. When the flower petals are crisp to the touch, they’re done.
Store your dried edible flower sprinkles in a airtight jar, with a large shaker cap if desired. Use on salads, compound butter, cheese balls, cakes, cookies, and ice-cream, as desired.
Sweet Sprinkle Variation:
I did this with lavender flowers by accident last year, but it worked quite well. Instead of just drying the flowers, place lavender flowers in liquid honey (to make infused honey like this rose honey). After 6-8 weeks, warm up the honey till it’s liquid and strain out the lavender blossoms. This also works with the rose petals from making rose infused honey! Knock off as much of the honey as possible from the blossoms and save it.
Spread the blossoms in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the oven with the light on and door ajar. Let them dry and the honey crystalize on them.
Break up any clumps that form. You can also dry them on parchment in the dehydrator on low heat (no higher than 110F). These candied flowers also make great sprinkles, ice-cream toppers, or toppers for lemonade.
Storing Edible Flower Sprinkles:
Flower sprinkles contain only the natural colors of the flowers you’ve dried for the purpose, so they will fade with storage, heat, or excessive light exposure. For the brightest sprinkles, store your fully dried flower petals in a mylar bag, with an oxygen absorber, in a cool dark place. Avoid storing in the fridge or freezer though, as they may reabsorb some moisture.
Back to You:
What other uses do you have for edible flowers? Have you tried any of the more unusual and fun uses? Leave a comment!
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