How to Make Pansy Topped Shortbread Cookies ~ these are my favorite buttery shortbread cookies topped with colorful and delicate edible flowers. This pretty tea time treat is surprisingly easy to pull off!
pansy topped cookies for spring!
Maybe you’re planning a wedding shower, or afternoon tea party, or maybe you just love a good kitchen craft, but these edible flower cookies are adorable and SO easy to pull off. Your Martha Stewart cred is about to go through the roof!
I had a lot of fun with these cookies, and came up with a new technique for making them that I think is a game changer. If you know this blog you know that I love edible flowers, and I’ve got lots of recipes that feature them, from drinks and salads to decadent desserts. Pansies are some of my favorite edible flowers because they’re so readily available, and so varied in their colors. These cookies will wow everybody!
a new technique for adding edible flowers to cookies
For these pansy topped cookies I’ve come up with a new technique that’s easier than the standard method, and results in a fresher, brighter, prettier cookie.
You might have seen my herb embossed savory shortbread which has been super popular. I developed a technique for that recipe that involves rolling or ‘laminating’ fresh herbs onto the shortbread dough before cutting out the cookies. Most recipes for edible flower topped cookies involve pasting the flowers down with a goopy egg wash, and then baking. This method results in an unappealing bubbly white  layer over the flowers. And honestly, baked pansies aren’t very attractive! So I came up with a solution…
a better way to make pansy topped shortbread cookies
My method avoids baking the pansies, which keeps them fresher and more colorful. This method is different from any other I’ve seen, and I know you’re going to love the results!
- Remove the stems from fresh pansies.
- Press the flowers between sheets of parchment or waxed paper, using heavy books to weigh them down. Let them sit for at least 30 minute or up to several hours.
- Bake shortbread cookies and while they’re hot from the oven, gently place the pressed pansies on top, lightly patting them down so they adhere. The heat of the cookies will bond the delicate petals to the surface, so don’t press too hard.
- Sprinkle with granulated sugar if you like.
- Let the cookies cool completely to firm up. After they’ve cooled they can be stacked on a platter.
- Note: brightly colored pansies seems to work best. I did use paler colors because I had them in my garden, but I noticed that the more vibrant colors made the most impact on the cookies.
how to make pressed flowers for baking and crafts ~
- Pick flowers in the morning, after the dew has evaporated, but before the afternoon heat and sun.
- Carefully snip or pinch off the stems and any thick parts just behind the blossom, taking care to keep the flower intact.
- Lay the dry flowers, face side down, on a sheet of  parchment paper. Fill the sheet with flowers.
- Lay another sheet over the flowers.
- Carefully, without disturbing the blossoms, lower a large heavy book or baking sheet over the paper.
- Top with several large heavy books or other objects on top to evenly weigh the whole thing down.
- Leave for at least 30 minutes (for cookies) or up to 2 weeks, depending on your project.
- Remove the weights and carefully peel off the top layer of paper to reveal the pressed flowers. Be careful moving them, they’re delicate!
TIP: press more flowers than you think you need because some will not come out as well.
flower cookie FAQS
I did have luck freezing the baked cookies, but if you’re planning to use them for a special occasion like a wedding I would do a test first. Another idea would be to freeze the dough.
Yes, you can lemon or orange zest and extract for a citrus cookie, or almond extract. Check out my archive of shortbread recipes for ideas. Below see my strawberry shortbread topped with a pansy.
Pansies and other edible flowers are easy to grow, so I like to take them from my garden. You want to be sure to use pesticide free flowers, so check with your local nursery. You can sometimes find them at larger grocery stores, too. Melissa’s Produce sells them and will ship. Williams Sonoma and other online retailers sell them too.
On the cookies they really don’t have much taste ~ a fresh pansy has a subtle spicy flavor, but once pressed it’s really mostly for decoration. To experience the real flavor make my Spring Salad with Edible Flowers!
edible flower varieties you can use to decorate shortbread cookies
You’ll want to use delicate flowers for this project. Heavy or thick flowers won’t adhere to the hot cookies. You can also consider removing the petals from larger flowers and using them. This is ideal for roses, geraniums, or marigolds. For a list of edible flowers see my Spring Salad with Edible Flowers.
- pansies are ideal because they’re thin enough to press the whole flower flat, and they come in endless color combinations.
- violets and violas
- roses (use the petals)
- geraniums (use the petals)
- marigolds (use the petals)
- you can actually purchase a collection of edible flowers by mail, from Melissa’s. Click here for info. And edible flowers can be made into everything from edible flower ice cubes, to ice cream, to cocktails.
How to Make Pansy Topped Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- food processor (optional)
- parchment paper or waxed paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
- assorted fresh pansies, you’ll need about 30, give or take
Instructions
- Put the sugar and soft butter into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine completely.
- Add the flour and extract, and pulse about 10 times, then run the machine briefly, just until the dough comes together into a lump or lumps.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and bring together into a smooth flat disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 2 hours.
- While the dough is chilling, remove the stems from the pansies, and place them on a large sheet of waxed paper, or parchment paper. Place another sheet on top, and then weigh it down with a baking tray or other large flat surface, topped with several heavy books. Let the pansies press for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if you like.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325F
- Roll out the dough to a 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out with a cookie cutter. I used both a 2 inch and a 2 1/2 inch cutter.
- Bake the cookies in batches, 1 tray at a time. Bake the smaller cookies for 7-8 minutes, and the larger ones for 9-11 minutes, depending on thickness. Your cookies will not brown, they will be pale and soft when done.
- Remove the tray from the oven and gently press the flat pansies onto the hot cookies, pressing slightly to adhere the flowers to the cookies. Don’t press too hard, the heat of the cookies will do the job. Sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar. Let the cookies cool completely on a rack.
- Note: the cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Could Nasturtium’s be used?
The petals could be, I think the whole flower would be too big/thick.
I don’t know if you can reply straight away , I’m making them now
However I am worried , my party guests are eating them in 48 hours time and I need to know if the petal will last or are your shortbreads to be eaten straight away ?
Thanks in advanced
The flowers last nicely Helen, they don’t seem to change at all from the time they come out of the oven. I’ve even frozen them with the flowers on!
Has you ever had the dough too firm to roll? I just took dough out of the fridge after 90 minutes. It’s like a rock and just crumbles when trying to roll. Any ideas what I could have done wrong?
You did nothing wrong, it’s common to need to leave the chilled dough at room temperature for a while to let it soften enough to roll out. Some chefs like to whack it with their rolling pin to soften it up.
Hi- you deem the food processor optional but no instructions on what to do/use if you don’t have one?
Sorry if this is a silly question, but is it necessary to wash the flowers before pressing?
Well, technically when you use edible flowers you should wash and dry them first, and of course be sure they haven’t been chemically treated, etc. But pansies are very delicate, so if you wash them do it very gently and then dry them completely before pressing. The issue is you don’t want them to wilt or shrivel before pressing. I don’t wash mine because I pick them from my yard.
Hi! These are stunning! Can I make them in advance and freeze them for about a week before serving?
Thanks!
I was able to freeze them successfully, but the flowers are delicate so I would suggest doing a trial run if the event is important.
What an amazing recipe Sue! I do have a question though. I would like to make some for my MIL who lives a while away so I will have to mail them. How long do the cookies last? Will the flower colours stay fresh for a few days?
Hi Jo ~ the flowers do keep very well for many days. The only issue I worry about is packing them, they would need to be packed fairly tightly so they don’t jostle around and crumble. I would probably separate each one with a piece of parchment or waxed paper.
These look absolutely stunning, perfect for a wedding!
They’d be so perfect, and you could coordinate the colors.
Such a great post filled with lots of great info Sue. These are just beautiful! Can’t wait to try in my kitchen!
Thanks Mary Ann, these cookies really have that ‘wow’ factor, and my method is so easy 🙂
I have to try these cookies! They are beautiful and so creative. Bravo!
Pansies are the best! I could play with them every day, each one is so unique, and it makes these cookies really fun.