Friday, July 10, 2009

Yesterday I drove to Elkins Park looking for dandelions. I had a nice walk through the park looking for flowers... and, unfortunetly, there weren't too many in bloom. However, there were more than enough in bloom so that, today, I was able to make candied dandelions and dandelion cookies for tomorrow. I was also able to make some iced tea... and that should be delicious as well (actually, though, I know that it is because I tasted it). So for tomorrow (again it's from one to three), please bring ideas and an appetite! You will also have the pleasure of meeting my parents who will be driving down from New Jersey.





I have two recipes for dandelion cookies, one that Mrs. Clarke found for me and one that I found online. I suggest adding more flour to the one that Mrs. Clarke gave me (which is the first recipe) and the 1 3/4 cup of flour to the second recipe.

DANDELION FLOWER COOKIES

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup unbleached flour

1 cup dry oatmeal

1/2 cup dandelion flowers

Blend the oil and honey and beat in the 2 eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, oatmeal. Gently add the dandelion flowers. Using a teaspoon, drop the batter onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet.* Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

Yield: 2 dozen

From Pat Clarke via Press-Enterprise Newspaper


DANDELION COOKIES

INGREDIENTS
1/2 CUP shortening
1/4 CUP + 2 TBSP white sugar
1/4 CUP + 2 TBSP brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 TSP vanilla
1/2 TSP soda
1/4 TSP salt
1/4 CUP yellow dandelion petals (more or less to taste) - washed and patted dry
1 1/4 to 1 3/4 CUPS all purpose flour (less for drop cookies, more for shaped cookies)

DIRECTIONS
Cream together the shortening and sugars.

When light and fluffy, add the vanilla and egg. Beat well.

Mix in all the dry ingredients, including the dandelion petals.

Drop by spoonfuls or roll into balls about 1/2 inch round, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees F for about 7 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown.

From http://www.fairygardens.com/colorbook/cookiesdandilion.html






Mrs. Clarke also told me how to make these and it was pretty simple... brush on egg whites and sprinkle on superfine sugar. She showed me violets that she had candied and they were a lot neater than these guys that I did today. I'm a little clumsier than she is I guess, but I resorted to dunking the egg white covered dandelion flowers in the sugar. They are strangely delicious. I always thought that sour and sweet went well together... these are more like bitter and sweet, but it's a very interesting taste combination.

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