Dandelion oatmeal cookies are an unexpected treat. In my opinion, dandelions are not weeds. The bright yellow dandelion flowers beckon to local bees in the early spring. Not to mention my children love to pick dandelions. They also love to make “wishes’ by blowing the blossoms that have gone to seed.
Kids and bees are onto something. The entire dandelion plant can, in fact, be eaten. And consuming dandelions may have several health benefits.
In our house we often eat dandelion greens and make dandelion tea. I’ve even made dandelion wine a time or two. On a recent Sunday my daughter picked a handful of the familiar yellow flowers. Then she asked about making dandelion cookies. Perhaps dandelion oatmeal cookies? You see, that child would bake just about anything into a cookie.
Nonetheless I started to think about what a dandelion oatmeal cookie recipe might contain. Typically I add almost anything to shortbread cookies. However, I didn’t think dandelion blossoms would cook up very well in a rolled cookie. I needed a drop cookie. The Splendid Table offered a great recipe that I encourage you to try.
The best part?
Other than dandelion flowers, there are only six ingredients!
All of which are basically pantry staples. Music to my ears!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/2 cup honey (shop local!)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup uncooked oatmeal
- 1/2 cup dandelion flowers
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Blend oil, honey and beat in the two eggs. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, oatmeal, and dandelion flowers. Or you can do what I did and toss everything into a bowl in no particular order. Then mix it with a serving spoon while a four-year old hangs from your leg. The dandelion oatmeal cookies will come out just fine.
The recipe says to drop the batter by teaspoonfuls onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet. I plopped a piece of parchment paper on my baking sheet instead. I baked the Cookies for 10-12 minutes.
There is still one very important part. Don’t just toss dandelion blossoms into the cookie dough. First detach any stems and greens. Measure the blossoms while in tact. Next, wash the blossoms. I soaked mine in dish of cool water. After that I dried the blossoms off on a towel. Now the petals need to be separated from the rest of the plant. Hold flowers by your fingertips and pinch the green base (hard!) with your other hand. This will release all the yellow petals. Use only the petals in this recipe.
Our favorite part is picking the flowers. Be sure you are in a pesticide-free area (pest-proof your yard naturally) when picking dandelions to eat or cook with. Dandelion oatmeal cookies are a naturally sweet and dry cookie. They are especially delicious with a glass of milk or cold lemonade. Dandelion oatmeal cookies are also fabulous with a scoop of dandelion sorbet. However, that is a recipe for another day.