After drying, candying edible flowers is the best way I’ve found to extend the use of what is generally the most beautiful, but also the most perishable, part of a plant. The violets that can be purchased candied are not the variety that we find wild in our Northeast woods (that cultivated English variety is much more fragrant) so these candied violets serve more as a lovely garnish to a dessert than they do as an ingredient that will change the scent or flavor of a dish. Press a few into the icing on a lemony sugar cookie, a freshly glazed donut, or a simply frosted vanilla cake.
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- Approximately 20-30 freshly-picked wild violet flowers with an inch or so of the stem still attached
- ¼ cup superfine (not confectioner’s) sugar, or ¼ cup granulated sugar processed to superfine in a food processor or spice grinder
Preparation
Optional equipment: a small, very clean paint brush
*Note: Like many candied flower and icing recipes you will find, I use raw egg white to candy violets. In my own kitchen I use washed, farm-fresh eggs for this purpose, and make sure that the flowers are completely dried before storing. Feel free to swap in lightly whipped aquafaba for the egg if you have food safety concerns.
Whip the egg white in a bowl using a whisk until just slightly frothy. Place the sugar in a separate bowl. Place a layer of paper towel on a baking sheet or large plate that will fit in your refrigerator.
Carefully hold each flower by the stem and dip one at a time into the egg white and then the sugar. Place each sugar-dipped flower flat on the paper towel. You may need to unfurl the petals as you go, and flatten them out a bit once you set the flowers down on the paper towel, but do not press the flowers down into the paper towel.
If using the paint brush method, gently hold the flower stem in your hand and paint a layer of egg white on both sides before carefully dipping each side in the sugar and laying flat on the paper towel. You may have an easier time keeping the flowers flat with this method.
Place the baking sheet or platter with the sugarcoated flowers in the refrigerator overnight so they begin to dry. I like to carefully flip them over part of the way through the drying process. Remove the candied violets from the refrigerator the next day, and if the weather is warm and dry continue to let them dry at room temperature for 12 more hours or until they seem very dry and brittle. If they are not completely dry, you can place them in a food dehydrator on the lowest setting for a few hours, or in a 200-degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes, checking carefully every few minutes that they do not start to brown. Make sure the candied violets return to room temperature before storing.
Store in a sealed jar and use within a few months.
