Sugared Flowers with Flax Seed Gel
Here are my instructions for making 'food safe' sugared flowers. Be sure to use non-toxic flowers for sugaring.
1. Bring 1/4 cup flax seed gel and 1 cup water to a boil. Stir occasionally and allow to cook for 3 - 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool. The liquid portion of this mixture will turn thick and have a similar consistency to egg whites.
2. Don't worry about straining out the flax seeds. I tried and it's too difficult and unnecessary for this application.
3. Use a soft paintbrush and gently wash each petal in flax seed gel. Only paint the top side. If the gel is too thick, stir in a small amount of water. Tweezers are needed to hold the petal without damaging the flower.
4. Once petal is painted, gently sprinkle ultra-fine sugar over the petals. Not much sugar is needed. I thought that about 1/2 the sugar would fall off when the flower dried, so added a little more sugar than really necessary. The sugar did not dry and fall off as expected! About 99% of the sugar stayed on the petals! Flax seed gel is very 'binding'.
5. Set flowers on parchment paper or a hard, flat surface. Do not touch. Allow to dry completely.
6. When ready to use, take a small, sharp object and/or tweezers and gently remove the blossom and place on cupcakes, cookies, or brownies. A lovely garnish!
7. Next time --- I will sugar a few leaves as well. I left a short stem on each blossom for ease in handling with tweezers. I will probably shorten them next time, although they snipped off easily with a pair of small scissors after blossoms dried.
Here are my instructions for making 'food safe' sugared flowers. Be sure to use non-toxic flowers for sugaring.
1. Bring 1/4 cup flax seed gel and 1 cup water to a boil. Stir occasionally and allow to cook for 3 - 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool. The liquid portion of this mixture will turn thick and have a similar consistency to egg whites.
2. Don't worry about straining out the flax seeds. I tried and it's too difficult and unnecessary for this application.
3. Use a soft paintbrush and gently wash each petal in flax seed gel. Only paint the top side. If the gel is too thick, stir in a small amount of water. Tweezers are needed to hold the petal without damaging the flower.
4. Once petal is painted, gently sprinkle ultra-fine sugar over the petals. Not much sugar is needed. I thought that about 1/2 the sugar would fall off when the flower dried, so added a little more sugar than really necessary. The sugar did not dry and fall off as expected! About 99% of the sugar stayed on the petals! Flax seed gel is very 'binding'.
5. Set flowers on parchment paper or a hard, flat surface. Do not touch. Allow to dry completely.
6. When ready to use, take a small, sharp object and/or tweezers and gently remove the blossom and place on cupcakes, cookies, or brownies. A lovely garnish!
7. Next time --- I will sugar a few leaves as well. I left a short stem on each blossom for ease in handling with tweezers. I will probably shorten them next time, although they snipped off easily with a pair of small scissors after blossoms dried.
again, big hugs to you and this super idea! i was thinking about what would be a good replacement for egg whites in candying flowers! you rock! been super busy lately, so just catching up with you!:)
ReplyDeleteI am busy --- trying to get things caught up here. I'm nearly done --- then the pace will go back to normal.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouraging words!
How long can these flowers be stored and what method of storage should be used?
ReplyDeleteThe flowers I sugared lasted one season (nearly a year) before I decided they were not 'fresh' enough to use. They should be stored in a dry place without much sunlight. As long as they are kept from moisture, they last a very long time.
ReplyDelete