How Tuesday - Making Lavender Infused Brownies

My recent edible flowers program talked about using lavender in both savory and sweet edible dishes.  One of the most popular flavored items was Lavender Infused Brownies.  The flavor of the lavender is infused into these in two different ways.  You can make them in a pan, but I recommend making them in mini muffin cups so you can share them or freeze them for later.

How to Make Lavender Infused Brownies

Step 1 - you can use an herbal sugar one of two ways.  Blend 1/3 cup lavender and 3 cups sugar in a blender and pulse until the lavender is pulverized and has imparted its scent to the sugar (about 2 to 3 minutes.)  You can also make the sugar in advance by layering granulates sugar with 1/4 cup lavender buds in alternating layers with about 2 cups of sugar and allow to infuse the scent and flavor gradually over a week to two weeks.  Sift out the lavender and used the infused sugar to create this recipe.

Step 2 - gather your ingredients.

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

3 tsp lavender flowers (dried)

1 cup cocoa powder

2 cups herbal or regular sugar (lavender sugar is amazing in this!)

4 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Optional 1 cup chopped nuts 

Step 3 -- Pre-heat oven to 350 F.  Either line bottom and sides of 9x12 baking pan with parchment or line mini muffin tins with papers. 

Step 4 -- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 5 -- Melt the butter in a small pot over very low heat. When melted, add the lavender flowers. Stir gently to cover all flowers. On very low heat, allow the flowers to impart their flavor into the butter.

 

After about 8 minutes, remove the pot from the heat. Strain the butter into a medium sized bowl, removing the lavender. 

Step 6 -- Stir in the cocoa. 

Step 7 -- Blend in the sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Step 8 -- Add the dry ingredients (and nuts if you decide to use.) 

Step 9 -- Blend all together and spoon into the mini muffin tins (or the 9 x 12 pan)  

To make it easier to fill mini muffin tins, I recommend putting the batter inside a 1 quart zip lock bag and snipping off the corner and piping the batter into the cups.  Fill about 2/3 full as brownies do not puff like cupcakes.

Fill about 2/3 full as brownies do not puff like cupcakes.

Step 10 -- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes for the small bites (or 30-35 for larger pan.) 

Makes about 45 mini muffins. Keep in a lidded container for about 7 to 10 days.  They freeze well of you drop them into a zip seal bag.  Each mini is abut two bites and the perfect little treat.  The explosion of lavender scent and flavor as you bite into them is a wonder!

Edible Flowers - Lavender Tea Bread

EDIT: Nothing like presetting all the monthly recipes to take care of the posting so I can lecture prep and realizing that it never happened 2 months into the process.  So if you were expecting these recipes to post during the month for your enjoyment, I am sorry.  If you want to find the recipes which have now posted, try out the links below in the theme list.

Lavender - Edible Flower

Lavender is a wonderful scented plant.  Totally edible from the leaves to the flowers and its strong floral scent makes it a perfect company for both savory and sweet dishes.  Today I am sharing a tea bread recipe that you can use to make a sweet quick bread.  You can serve it plain, with cream cheese or use to make cucumber tea sandwiches. The aroma is as spectacular as the taste.

Lavender Tea Bread

3/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp. dried lavender flowers, finely chopped, or 3 Tbsp. fresh chopped flowers

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Heat milk with lavender almost to a boil, then steep until cool. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in bowl. In another bowl cream butter and gradually add sugar, then eggs, one at a time, beating until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with lavender milk, in three parts. Mix until batter is just blended, do not overbeat. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. When completely cool, drizzle with a simple sugar glaze or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Garnish with sprigs of fresh lavender.

RECIPE THEME:

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Cajun And Creole

May 2019 - Seafood Recipes

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails

Two Edible Flower Cocktails - Weekend Recipe

EDIT: Nothing like presetting all the monthly recipes to take care of the posting so I can lecture prep and realizing that it never happened 2 months into the process.  So if you were expecting these recipes to post during the month for your enjoyment, I am sorry.  If you want to find the recipes which have now posted, try out the links below in the theme list.

Flowers are great in all kinds of foods and beverages.  I make a Lavender Collins during my Mocktails program that is super poplar and when I found this recipe for a cocktail made with steeped chamomile, I thought the two of them would be the perfect addition to the monthly theme of Edible Flowers.  For more Edible Flower recipes, check out the details at the bottom of the post.

Lavender Collins

1 ½ oz lavender infused juice (infused vodka) (one shot)

3/4 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice (half shot)

1/5 oz tonic syrup or tonic water (1/3 shot)

2 dashes of floral bitters (optional)

3 oz. soda water or sparkling water (2 Shots)

Ice

Garnish: Mint spring, lemon wheel, or lavender petals for garnish

Make lavender infusion: Substitute Vodka infusion- 2 cups white grape juice with a squeeze of ½ a lime added.  Stir in ¼ cup lavender flower buds.  Infuse in the refrigerator for 24 hours before straining out the lavender to serve in the cocktail.  This cannot keep longer than 1 week so do not make too much in advance.

Alcohol alternative: To make the vodka infusion - place half a cup of lavender petals in a 750 ml bottle of vodka. You’ll need to remove about ½ cup of vodka to make room for the flowers. The color will start to transfer to the vodka almost immediately, but we suggest allowing it to sit up to 72 hours for maximum results. Leave it in a cool dry cupboard while it’s infusing. Strain and use until gone (will not spoil.) Strain using cheese cloth or fine mesh sieve. Coffee filters work as well, but take more time.

To make cocktail: Place juices, tonic and bitters in a shaker with ice and shake.  Strain into a Collins glass. Add three ounces of chilled soda and top with ice. Garnish with a mint sprig, lemon wheel, or lavender petals.

Chamomile Iced Martini

2 oz Gin (want a Gin substitute – see this post)

1 Tbls Chamomile tea (make with 1 tsp chamomile flowers steeped in 1 cup of hot water)

1 Tbls Simple syrup (lemon simple syrup is tasty here)

Ice

Garnish: Lemon twist

To make cocktail: Combine tea, simple syrup and gin in a shaker with ice.  Pour into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

RECIPE THEME
Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:
Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Cajun And Creole

May 2019 - Seafood Recipes

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails

Chicago Flower and Garden Show – worth a visit

 

2012

Brought back after years of non-existence, the Chicago Flower and Garden Show has spent several years creating a perfect combination of learning, experiments, commercial information and knowledge.  I have attended for several years starting out as a blogger in 2012 and moving to a speaker as well as reporter beginning in 2017.

  

                            2017

There are several ways to enjoy the Flower and Garden Show in Chicago March 20 to 24, 2019.  Held at Navy Pier, the event includes vendors  and show gardens of course. 

A display completion from the garden club members of the Illinois Garden Clubs as well as free (included in your ticket) garden seminars, garden related demonstrations and culinary demonstrations can be enjoyed throughout the venue.  

Along with kids’ activities and potting parties where you can sign up to create potted plant arrangements, there is so much to do you need to spend the whole day and the ticket price of $20 for a day is very reasonable.

The sponsor is Bernie's Book Bank - an organization that focuses on bring books to underserved communities, children and individuals.  Love them!  They sent me some swag last year! 

For details of all the programs and events check out their website: chicagoflower.com

Learn About Gardening

The informational portion of the event can be found in three presentation areas:

Seminar Series – everyday Learn from horticultural experts from a multitude of different professions during our free seminars every day of the show. With a wide range of interesting topics being offered, you’re sure to leave this year’s show excited, educated and inspired.

Gardening Live! stage -- Three times each day experience the biggest presentations of the show on the Gardening Live stage in the center of the venue. Watch and learn from the top professionals in horticulture as they present on exciting green topics, three times a day.

Garden Gourmet -- Four times each day you can watch Chicago’s culinary elite share their secrets on creating savory dishes from natural and home-grown ingredients during our Garden Gourmet presentations. Leave with plenty of fresh ideas for your own garden produce!

Backyard Patch Sharing about Herbs

I (Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh) will be presenting at the  Chicago Flower and Garden Show on two different days.  You can learn to make Herbal Infusions at 4:00 pm on Thursday March 21 on the Gardening Live! stage.  On Friday I will present a program on Edible flowers (at 12:15) followed by one entitled Unusual, Exotic and Medical Herbs (1:45pm). Local Radio gardening personality Mike Nowak will be broadcasting live on Sunday, March 24.

Single day tickets are $20 and evening tickets from 4 pm to closing are $10.00.  You can order tickets online.  

Mocktails Need Special Ingredients -- Making a Faux Gin

One of my very popular programs currently is Mocktails.  A wonderful program exploring the flavors of herbs that make excellent cocktail flavors and ingredients.  We explore herb infused simple syrups, herb infused teas and juices and traditional cocktail techniques, like muddling to create unique herb flavors for fun entertaining.  Although the program is alcohol-free all the techniques can be used to make true cocktails as well.  If you are interested in attending a Mocktail Program there are several coming up soon.  Check our the program page of the blog for an up to date list:  Scheduled Programs.

Infused Gin Substitute; Juice Gin Substitute; and Lavender Infused Grape juice

In order to make a Mocktail, you must create alcohol substitutes.  Some alcohols can be easily substituted, like water for vodka or grape juice for wine and sparkling water or ginger ale for champagne.  One of those substitutes is a alternative to Gin.  Gin cannot be easily substituted with a simple beverage.  Juniper is a special flavor in Gin along with other herbs so to create a different version of this you must infuse, or steep, the flavor of juniper into other media.

One technique uses fresh fruit, both the juice and peel combined with juniper berries and other spices to create a flavored beverage you can use in numerous Gin themed drinks.

In the photo above the center jar contains a Juice Gin Substitute made with oranges, blood oranges, lemons and grapefruit infused with rosemary, juniper, cardamom and citrus peel to create a subtly bitter infusion that is very similar to real Gin.

Gin Substitute Juice

To create a non-alcoholic gin and tonic you need to craft a complex flavored juice to use to craft the cocktail and you need some citrus or floral bitters to substitute for the bitterness of the quinine you find in the tonic water.

For the juice infusion

• 3 large grapefruits (pink or regular or both)
• 1 lemon
• 3 oranges (blood orange and regular)
• 8 juniper berries
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 sprig rosemary

Other

• Sparkling water or soda water
• ice cubes
• Citrus or Floral Bitters

Instructions

1. Peel off some rind off the grapefruit, lemon and orange. You want about 3 5-inch long peels, one or two of each fruit to add to the bottle.
2. Cut the fruit in half and juice into a bowl, don't worry about the fruit flesh falling in.
3. From the bowl, strain the juice through a sieve to catch the meat.
4. Add the juniper berries, cardamom pods and rosemary sprig to a bottle or other vessel with a lid. Add a peel of each citrus fruit and then pour in the strained juices. Shake well.
5. Infuse overnight or for a couple of days or use right away.
6. To create Mocktail: Combine equal amounts of faux gin - juice infusion and sparkling water over ice and add a dash or two of bitters.