What’s your favorite thing about spring? If you’re like me, it’s probably the flowers! When I was a kid, seeing colorful crocuses pop up in the spring filled me with excitement. Those first few blooms meant winter was almost over, and warm weather was on its way. Every year, I would pick bouquets of flowers and fill the house with sweet scents of lilacs, tulips, and daffodils. And at some point as a kid, I came across a book of nature crafts and recipes, and learned how to candy violets- something that turned into a bit of a yearly tradition in the years to come.
Candied violets are super easy to make, and only require three simple ingredients:
1 Egg White
Sugar
Violets
Step 1: Harvest Your Flowers.
In Southeastern Wisconsin where I grew up, violets are numerous in the springtime- as they should be, since they’re the official state flower! I often find them growing in shady areas, in beautiful shades of purple and white. When using them for culinary purposes, I usually look for full flowers and leaves that have no visible damage.
Step 2: Clean Your Flowers.
If you are harvesting from a place that sprays pesticides, I would recommend washing all of them before use. If not, a simple once-over to be sure they are clean of dirt, bugs, etc is fine.
Step 3: Get Your Other Ingredients.
Separate your egg white from the yolk and put it in a bowl. Whisk it a little so it loosens up a bit. Save the yolk for your breakfast, coffee, or another recipe. Pour the sugar into a separate bowl. You don’t need a lot- I usually fill a small bowl with about 1/4 cup of sugar, then add more to the bowl as needed. Just remember- you can’t put the sugar back into the container if you have extra, but you can always add more!
Step 4: Prep Your Workspace.
Get a pan or plate and line it with wax or parchment paper.
Step 5: Make the Candies
Dip your flowers and leaves in the egg white, and let the excess drip off. Then coat it in sugar, and place on the wax paper to dry. Do this with all of your violets.
Step 6: Let Them Dry and Enjoy!
Let them dry for at least two hours, or until the egg has dried and they are hard. Enjoy them by themselves, with ice cream, or use them to decorate a festive spring cake!
Did you make them? How did you use them? Let me know in the comments!
Prefer a video recipe? Watch here!
TTYL 😘
-Ashley