On Saturday, May 25, 2013 I attended a fair where I set up a lot of dried herbs for sale, and taught others about using herbs. I had a friend ask about a recipe using calendula for a ladies group she belongs to. Here is a great recipe for calendula-orange cookies. ENJOY! CALENDULA-ORANGE COOKIES 2 -3 T. dried calendula blossoms (or 6 - 8 fresh blossoms) ½ c. real butter, at room temperature ½ c. raw sugar Grated zest of two oranges (orange part of the peel only) 2 T. orange concentrate, at room temperature 1 t. vanilla 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 c. all purpose flour (whole grain is best) 2 ½ t. baking powder ¼ t. sea salt 1 c. almond halves
Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets. Rinse calendulas (if using fresh petals). Pull off petals and set aside. Do not rinse if using dried. Fresh or dried, chop the petals finely or process in a food processor. In a bowl, cream butter, sugar and orange rind until fluffy. Add orange juice concentrate and vanilla. Mix in eggs, stirring until blended. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Blend calendula petals and dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Press an almond half into each cookie. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Makes 3 to 4 dozen. Note: When making food with flower petals, blossoms or dried flowers, use only organic varieties. Never use them from a garden center that sprays their plants, or from a source that you are not sure of. This recipe was slightly modified from the original recipe at Lemon Verbena Lady's Blog.