Dandelion Shortbread Biscuit Recipe

A simple and delicious Dandelion shortbread recipe made with just a handful of ingredients and the vibrant yellow petals of freshly foraged Dandelions. Light and buttery these biscuits are a perfect introduction to baking with wild edible flowers.

Dandelions are one of the most common and familiar wildflowers found within the English landscape, often appearing in parks, gardens and woodlands in great abundance throughout the year. While they are sometimes seen as undesirable in manicured lawns and gardens, their bright yellow flowers are a welcome sight to foragers and wildlife in Spring. The leaves, roots and flower of the Dandelion are all edible, and as they have a tendancy to set down their roots in even the most arid of places, they can be a very reliable wild edible.

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The leaves, although quite bitter, can be eaten raw or cooked in salads, soups and stirfries, while the long taproots can be used in much the same way as small carrots. Be sure to seek the landowners permissions before pulling up the roots though, as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it illegal to uproot any plant in the UK without permission.

Leaves and roots can be gathered all year round, but the tender leaves of early Spring tend to offer the best flavour.

The vibrant yellow flowers are my favourite part of the plant to forage for. Whilst they can be found throughout the year, their peak flowering time is usually during the first few weeks of April as the weather begins to warm. Its as if they decide to flower all at once, transforming meadows, fields and grass verges with their happy blooms.

If you have a recipe which calls for a lot of Dandelion flowers, such as Dandelion wine or syrup, then be sure to make the most of them during this short window.

This Dandelion Shortbread recipe is perfect for making use of just a few flowering heads. A small patch of grass in the garden, or even a single Dandelion in a pot can provide enough flowers for baking. Regularly removing the flowers also encourages the plant to produce more which is a benefit for hungry pollinators and foragers alike!

Be sure to only gather your Dandelion flowers just before you need them. Avoid gathering them more than a few hours before as once picked, the flower heads soon begin to close and go to seed!

Only the petals of the flower are needed for this recipe, and help to add a little wilderness to a sweet and delicious shortbread. Gently peel open the flower and pinch out the petals to avoid any accidental greenery being added to your bowl. While the greenery is edible, its very bitter and not necessarily what we need for this recipe!

Alongside the Dandelion petals, this recipe calls for three other simple ingredients: flour, butter and sugar. The straightforward method makes it a quick and easy bake, and its something I quite often do with my children who thoroughly enjoy the whole process from gathering the flowers to baking, and of course tasting the still warm biscuits, fresh out of the oven.

The biscuits take just 12 minutes to bake and while they stay fresh in an air-tight container for a few days, they rarely last that long!

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Dandelion Shortbread Biscuits

Ingredients

A generous handful of Dandelion petals, removed from the flower head.

9oz Plain flour

3oz Caster sugar

6oz butter or margarine, ideally a block (like Stork or similar)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 160c

2. Mix the flour and sugar together in a large bowl.

3. Chop the butter into rough cubes and add to the bowl. Rub the ingredients together until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

4. Knead it altogether well, until it comes together to form a smooth dough. It might take a few minutes, but the warmth from your hands should be enough to bring it together.

5. Gently knead in the flower petals, until they are evenly distributed.

6. Roll out onto a floured surface. You want to aim for about 1 - 1.5 cm thick. Use your favourite cookie cutters to shape your biscuits.

7. Place them on a baking tray and bake for about 12 minutes. Leave them to cool completely once you have removed them from the oven before removing from the tray.