Blooming in Summer

While the searing heat of summer brings some discomfort, the hottest months of the year is also when some trees start to bloom and fruits hit their peak. While we don’t have winters and spring, summer is the time we feel most alive. The sweat, the burn we get under the midday sun, the dust, all of what summer brings heightens our senses.

Summer is also the time for eating lighter than usual. You wouldn’t want to drag all that added weight in this stifling heat. For those like me who live for desserts, summer is the perfect time for the dainty stuff, lighter pastries, perfect for some tea.

On a recent trip to a Chinese grocery, I found the cutest bottles of dried flowers. Meant to be steeped in hot water and made into herbal tea, I thought of incorporating the pretty dried flowers into a cookie. My recipe for this month is my personal welcome to summer. We may not have spring here, but we can sure put some blooms in our sweets.

Floral Tea Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dried flowers, steeped in hot water
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter     
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup chopped cashew
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachio

Procedure:

1. Rehydrate dried edible flowers in hot water then pick the petals and set aside.
2. Cream butter and powdered sugar with a mixer and add vanilla.
3. Mix in the flour and the nuts.
4. Add flower petals but set aside a few to place on top.
5. Form the dough into small balls and place on a lined baking tray.
6. Press a few more petals on top of the dough balls and bake at 180˚C for 10 minutes.
7. Once baked, place on a wire rack to cool and serve with some floral tea.