Elderflower and Raspberry Flower Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/ 340F and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.
2. Put the butter, caster sugar and salt into a mixing bowl and cream, using electric beaters, until fluffy.
3. Add the egg and mix in.
4. Divide the mixture into 2 bowls (approximately 140g of batter in each one)
5. Add 15ml Belvoir Farm Elderflower Cordial to one bowl and mix in. Stir through 125g plain flour and 15g cornflour until a smooth dough forms.
6. Add 15ml Belvoir Farm Raspberry & Lemon Cordial to the other bowl plus a dab of the pink food colouring. Mix in then stir through 125g plain flour and 15g cornflour to form a smooth dough.
7. From the elderflower cookie dough take 6 pieces of dough weighing approximately 5g each and roll into balls. Now divide the remaining dough into 30 balls each weighing approximately 8g each. Cover with a clean tea towel to prevent the dough from drying out.
8. Repeat step 7 with the raspberry & lemon flavoured dough.
9. Take 5 of the larger balls of the elderflower dough and place them in a circle on a baking sheet.
10. Place a square of baking parchment over the top of the balls and use the base of a glass jar or bowl to lightly press down to slightly flatten the balls and join them together.
11. Place one of the small balls of raspberry & lemon dough into the centre of the cookie.
12. Repeat step 9-11 with the remaining 25 balls of elderflower dough, leaving around 3cm between each cookie to allow for spreading during baking.
13. Now repeat steps 9-12 using the large balls of raspberry & lemon dough and use the small balls of elderflower dough in the centre of these cookies.
14. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets midway through the cooking time to allow an even bake. Take the cookies out of the oven before they turn golden.
15. Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheets.
16. Put 100g of the icing sugar into a small mixing bowl and add the elderflower cordial to one bowl with enough water (10-15ml) to form a pipeable icing when mixed. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a 1-1.5mm circular nozzle.
17. Repeat step 16 using the remaining icing sugar plus the raspberry & lemon cordial and a dab of food colouring.
18. When the cookies are cool pipe the ‘stamen’ onto each one:
    • On the elderflower cookies pipe three lines of the raspberry & lemon icing onto each petal and then pipe small balls of elderflower icing onto the end of each line.
    • On the raspberry & lemon cookies pipe three lines of the elderflower icing onto each petal and then pipe small balls of raspberry & lemon icing onto the end of each line.

Expert Tips

• If you have digital kitchen scales these will help you roll evenly sized balls of dough.
• If your dough is too sticky to roll add a little extra flour. If your dough is too stiff to roll, mix in a small amount of milk.
• Keep a close eye on the cookies as they bake to avoid them browning.
• These cookies are intentionally soft on the inside.
• Store your cookies flat and in an even layer to avoid damaging the icing.
• These cookies stay fresh for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight tin at room temperature.
• Try a different combination of flavours such as Belvoir Farm Blueberry & Blackcurrant Cordial paired with Lemon & Lime cordial. Don’t forget to swap the food colouring too.