This recipe for Cherry Spice Petal Cookies is perfect for a gift or afternoon treat. The cookies are spiced with cinnamon, cardamon and black pepper. Once baked they are sandwiched together with cherry icing and finished with more icing and a sprinkle of fresh edible petals and a dusting of dehydrated cherry powder.
Cherry Spice Petal Cookies Recipe
Makes about 42 cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp molasses
6 tbsp unsalted butter
6 tbsp caster sugar
Cherry Icing
2 cups icing sugar
¼ tsp butter, melted
1 tsp cherry essence, or juice from cherries
1 tsp rose water
½ cup fresh violets or pink rose petals
¼ cup dehydrated cherry powder
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line 2 large baking sheets.
Whisk together flour, spices and salt in a bowl. Stir baking soda into 1½ teaspoons of warm water in a cup, then stir in molasses.
Beat together butter and sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in baking soda mixture until combined well. Add flour mixture until just combined (dough will be crumbly but will hold together when rolling balls).
Working with half of the dough, roll level teaspoons of dough into balls; place on baking trays, leaving space between them for spreading. Flatten balls with a fork, dipping fork into flour to prevent sticking if necessary.
Bake cookies until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
To make cherry icing, sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add melted butter. Add sufficient water to mix to a spreadable consistency. Add cherry essence or juice and rose water.
Cover each biscuit with cherry icing and sandwich with another biscuit. Sprinkle with fresh edible violets or pink rose petals.
Dust lightly with dehydrated cherry powder before serving.
