Sakura Sabure - Cherry Blossom Shortbread Cookies

🧂 Ingredients

• 25 g cherry blossoms (sakura)

  (about 2.5 cups, loosely packed)
• 5 g sea salt

  (about 1 tsp)
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tsp preserved cherry blossoms

  divided (see note)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter

  (see note on temperature)
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp sakura vinegar

  (leftover from preserving cherry blossoms - see substitution note)

Instructions

• 1 Pick unsprayed cherry blossoms from an ornamental cherry tree. The best flowers
  to use are the ones that are just starting to open, so try to time your picking
  with the early blossoming stages.
• 2 Very gently wash the flowers by soaking them in clean water and stirring lightly
  with your hands. Lay the flowers out to dry, or give them a quick and gentle
  spin with a salad spinner.
• 3 Gently sprinkle layers of flowers with sea salt in a small jar. Refrigerate for
  3 days.
• 4 Cover the flowers with vinegar and refrigerate for an additional 3 days.
• 5 Drain and reserve vinegar. Spread the flowers out to dry. They can be air-dried,
  or dried in a very low oven or dehydrator (see note).
• 6 Preheat and over to 350° F (175° C).
• 7 Crumble approximately 1.5 teaspoons of the flowers between your fingers or with
  a mortar and pestle (reserve the rest, and preferably the nicest looking ones
  for decorating the cookie tops). You can remove the thin stems if you have
  trouble crumbling them up, but they're perfectly edible.
• 8 Combine the flour, crushed flowers, and baking powder. Stir/sift together and
  set aside.
• 9 Using a hand or stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar until they're well
  mixed.
• 10 Add the vinegar and almond extract to the butter and sugar, and mix well.
• 11 Add the flour mixture a little at a time, and continue to mix until
  well-combined.
• 12 Form the dough into small circles and flatten into patties by hand or, for a
  more uniform appearance, by pressing them into circular cookie cutters.
• 13 Gently press a preserved cherry blossom into the center of each cookie. try to
  make sure that they're completely pressed into the dough and not sticking out at
  the edges, or they may burn.
• 14 Space the cookies out by about 5-7 cm (2-3 inches) on a cookie-sheet. Bake for
  10-15 minutes, or until the bottoms are a very light brown. Baking time can vary
  depending on your oven and the colour/material of your baking sheet, so keep a
  close eye on the cookies.
• 15 Set the finished cookies aside to cool on the tray. They'll be fairly soft right
  out of the oven, so make sure not to disturb them until they've cooled off
  completely.

Nutrition Info