Garden Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter, softened

¾ cup sugar (extra for pressing cookies)

1 teaspoon vanilla (or 3 Tbl orange juice)

1 egg

zest of 2 large oranges

Or: zest of 3 limes or zest of 3 lemons

edible flowers

Instructions:

Whisk flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl and set aside.
With a mixer, cream butter and sugar.
Add vanilla (or orange juice), egg and orange zest until combined.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then add the remaining flour. Mix just until incorporated.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper
Split the dough in two and form an oval about one inch high and place between two sheets of parchment paper. Chill for at least two hours.
Roll out the dough keeping it between the two sheets of parchment. Use a little powdered sugar if needed for sticking.
Cut out cookies and top with edible flowers and herbs. See edible flower tips below).
Chill for another ten minutes before baking at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Tips for using edible flowers with cookies:

Make sure to confirm that you are using edible flowers.
Wash and dry flowers and herbs thoroughly.
Taste each one to make sure you want it on your cookies - although I have found that with the orange sugar cookies, I do not really taste the flowers and herbs I put on them.
I would pull pedals off of bulky flowers and arrange them individually.
Roll leaves and pedals etc between two sheets of parchment paper but be very careful with delicate pieces.
Press gently onto cut out cookie.
I think that orange, yellow, pink and purple retain their color the best.
Pedals and leaves will shrink so fill the space generously.