If you’re interested in tasting chewy, ‘melt in your mouth’ sunshine in cookie form, this recipe is for you! Honey AND Dandelions? YES, PLEASE! WHOLEGRAIN? Bring it on! We have two versions here: one featuring only the farm’s organic soft red whole wheat flour, and the other with the soft red PLUS a healthy heap of fresh organic cornmeal. Both are delicious, though the cornmeal has a little more ‘melt in your mouth’ feel to it.
I first came across a shortbread cookies with honey and dandelions in 2020 and was all over it. These two wild ingredients are a signature of springtime that bring honey bees and sunshine together. …a few of our FAVORITE THINGS here on the farm! Also, dandelions in the spring bring a feeding frenzy. You need only look closely to see all the tiny creatures enjoying the benefits of dandelion nectar and pollen. Why shouldn’t we get in on that action?! Over the last few years, I’ve gotten a lot of practice and developed more confidence working with wholegrains, which in my opinion provide an exponential flavor boost to everything, not to mention a nutritional bonus of protein and fiber that your body will also love.
Whether you have kids around or not, the inner-child will enjoy pulling apart dandelion petals to mix into the cookie dough. You’ll really feel the earthiness of this spring treat as you think about feasting on dandelion petals, honey, and fresh whole grains. These make the perfect sunshine cookie with a nice crisp and sweet yummy chew with a honey burst of sweetness. There’s definitely room to play with this shortbread cookie, whether it’s mixing up the whole grains and sugars, or changing the amounts of flour! We tried a version with about 1/2 cup less of flour that spread out wide during the bake. While it was too sweet for my liking, the cookie resulted in a lacey crisp that others really thought was something. For now, I share the more basic shortbread cookie recipe so you can tinker from this base. Here we go!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- scant 1/2 cup sugar (here you can do all white sugar or half & half white and brown)
- 1 heaped tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup loosely packed dandelion petals
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cups wholegrain flour (OPTIONS: use 100% whole soft red wheat flour, OR 1 cup soft red and 1/2 cup cornmeal)
- coarse sugar, for topping, optional
NOTE: Whole Spelt Flour would easily work as a tasty substitute for the Whole Soft Red Wheat Flour. Also, some may prefer another 1/4 cup of sugar for extra sweetness.
-Prep/Cook Time-
10 min prep / 1 hour chill / 10 min bake
-Cook Type-
Bake at 350 F
-Contributor-
Instructions
- Gather your dandelions and pluck out the yellow petals until you have a lightly packed 1/2 cup of petals. Discard the rest of the flower. Try to wash the petals as best you can as they will get sticky when wet.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream together the butter, sugar, and honey until light and fluffy. Mix in the dandelion petals.
- On low speed, add the salt and vanilla and then slowly add the flour until it is just incorporated into the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Turn the dough onto a couple large sheets of plastic wrap and roll it into a log that is about 2-2.5 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or overnight.
- When ready to bake, line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the log into about 1/4-inch slices and place on the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each with a little coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges and bottoms are turning golden. Let cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheets and then place the cookies on a cooling rack to fully cool.
Store cookies in an airtight container. They are more flavorful a day or two after baking…if you can wait that long. ‘Sunshine’ cookies are too great not to enjoy right away. No judging! ENJOY these wild and wonderful springtime treats inspired by sunshine, weeds, and bees!
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