We love spring! Spring makes us think of flowers in bloom and the explosion of color, scent, and flavor that comes with them. Perhaps when you think of flowers, their "flavor" isn't one of the things that comes to mind, but it should be if it happens to be an edible flower. It's true that not all flowers are edible, but the ones that are can really up the flavor factor and nutrient factor in your meals. Not to mention that they are really, really pretty and pretty much a feast for your eyes.
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If you have a garden, you might be able to use some of the flowers from your own yard to make these dishes. Edible flowers include daisies, dandelions, hibiscus, honeysuckle, lavender, lilac, mums, nasturtium, pansies, roses, sunflowers, and violets. But even if you don't have a garden or don't feel comfortable choosing flowers to use because you're not sure which are safe to eat and which aren't, these recipes have you covered. And remember that you can buy edible flowers at a farmers market or in the produce section of your supermarket.
A beautiful fruit, elderflower, and Prosecco gelatina that begs to be photographed.
Although the recipe calls this a "jelly," for those of us who grew up eating gelatina, it really is more a gelatin dessert than an actual jelly because you aren't putting it on bread. Unless you want to. In that case, we won't stop you.
Lavender cookies for the whole family to enjoy.
If you've ever had anything that tastes like lavender, you know it is a very particular flavor. It's like you are tasting the literal scent of lavender—and it is delightful. These lavender cookies are just one way you can use lavender in your cooking.
Make hibiscus-glazed donuts as a breakfast treat.
Hibiscus is often used to make hot hibiscus tea or cold refreshing agua de jamaica, but you can also use it to prepare a glaze for homemade donuts. You can even make the donuts out of store-bought biscuit dough, which means this recipe is easy-peasy.
Speaking of agua de jamaica.
You didn't think we were going to bring up agua de jamaica and not provide you with a recipe, did you? That would be cruel. Making agua de jamaica is easy. All you need is dried hibiscus flowers, sugar, and water.
You could also make strawberry hibiscus popsicles.
You could easily pop agua de jamaica into popsicle molds and call it a day, but if you want to make a more nuanced popsicle using hibiscus, consider this refreshing strawberry hibiscus option. So good!
An Instagrammable goat cheese roll with edible flowers.
Who knew cheese could be so beautiful? If you make one of these, you are definitely going to want to take a picture of it to share before you dig in. It's just too pretty not to.
Serve a no-bake cheesecake with edible flowers for dessert.
You can make this using any no-bake cheesecake recipe and then just top it off with the edible flowers of your choice. But, just in case you don't have a no-bake cheesecake recipe you like, we got ya!
You could get the kids to help you make lemon lavender shortbread.
What's the difference between cookies and shortbread? Cookies tend to have eggs in them and shortbread has no eggs. What that means is that even a toddler can help you make shortbread because there is no danger of them getting sick from eating raw shortbread dough.
Add some flowers to banana bread.
Banana bread is such a great way to use overripe bananas, and it's so darned good, too. In the spring, when flowers are in bloom, why not add some edible flowers to your favorite banana bread recipe?
These pressed flower sugar cookies are beyond beautiful.
This is another kid-friendly recipe. Your kids will love pressing the flowers into the cookies and then take pride in eating their gorgeous edible art when they are out of the oven.
Add edible flowers to your favorite salad mix.
A super simple way of adding edible flowers into your diet is by mixing them into your favorite salad mix. You can buy a mix that already has edible flowers in it or buy edible flowers and add them to your salad greens.
No recipe needed for this one. Just top off with your favorite dressing and enjoy.
Give your avocado toast a floral makeover.
This is another incredibly easy way to add the beauty, flavor, and nutrients of edible flowers into your diet. To make avocado toast topped with edible flowers, all you need to do is top off toasted bread with avocado that has been mashed and seasoned to your liking, then add some edible flowers on top.
Don't waste any leftovers.
Let's say you have or buy a bunch of edible flowers and don't eat them all. Don't let them wilt into oblivion. Instead, make edible flower ice cubes with them and pop them into your cold drinks.
It's butter but better.
Basically, all you're doing is sprucing up already delicious butter with herbs and edible flowers. You don't even have to make the butter from scratch or anything. What you end up with looks and tastes divine.
Add wild rose petal jam to your jam and jelly rotation.
If you have wild roses in your garden and love jam, this recipe is perfect for you. Sure, you can eat this on toast, but keep in mind that you can also use the wild rose petal jam to top off a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Rose petal white chocolate bark is enchanting.
This rose petal white chocolate bark will knock your socks off. It's got rose petals, dried strawberries, crushed pistachios, and sea salt all playing delightfully on white chocolate.
