Cheers to Spring! It’s really starting to feel like Spring here–the weather has been warm, the birds are singing, and the flowers are all in bloom. All of the beautiful flowers really make Spring one of my favorite seasons and as I was thinking about this week’s dessert I knew I wanted to make something vibrant and colorful.
When I first saw the violet lemonade at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival, I loved the vibrant purple color and since I love frozen lemonade and had never had anything with a violet flavor, I was excited but also a little nervous to try it. In the end, the mix of the lemon and violet was delicious and I thought it’d be fun to recreate this festival favorite at home.
I’m so excited to share these violet lemonade cookies! These melt in your mouth cookies are refreshingly lemony with the perfect hit of violet–just like the lemonade from the festival!
For this cookies, I started with my lemon cookie recipe, which has quickly become one of my favorite cookies. They’re easy to make and perfectly sweet and tart. I then added some violet syrup to both the cookie dough and glaze to get the perfect mix of lemon and violet flavor.
When researching violet flavoring, I saw a couple different options. One way to make the flavoring is to create a violet syrup by boiling edible violets. While this seemed interesting, it also seemed a bit complex to do and I wasn’t able to find edible violets near me. Instead, I used a pre-made violet syrup by Monin that I found on Amazon. This syrup has a great flavor and while it does come in large bottle, it’s also a great mixer for cocktails and homemade sodas.
For the dough, I added about a tablespoon of violet syrup, but depending on how much violet flavor you want, you could definitely add more. For the glaze, I added about two tablespoons of violet syrup and about two tablespoons of lemon juice just to thin the glaze out a little bit. As lemon is a strong flavor, I think could have reduced the amount of lemon juice in the glaze or added a bit more violet syrup. However, I was happy with how they came out.
While the violet syrup is colored, I also added some food coloring to both the dough and the glaze to create the perfect purple. Usually, I would use purple food coloring to achieve the color, but it wasn’t quite the color I was looking for so I decided to make my own purple using a mix of red and blue coloring. When adding the colors, make sure to use small drops and to do a little a time, mixing after each addition. This will help you have more control over the overall color.
I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I did and that they bring a taste of the Flower and Garden Festival to your home!
Disclaimer: Links in this post are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Violet Lemonade Cookies
Cheers to Spring! Inspired by the delicious frozen drink at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, these refreshing violet lemonade cookies are the perfect Spring treat!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons violet syrup
- blue gel food coloring
- red gel food coloring
Glaze
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons violet syrup
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- blue gel food coloring
- red gel food coloring
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
-
In a medium bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. Rub together until fragrant.
-
Add butter to lemon sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Mix in violet syrup, adding more if a strong violet flavor is desired.
-
On low speed, beat in flour mixture until combined. Add small drops of red and blue gel food coloring, mixing together until dough is the desired shade of purple.
-
Drop dough by the tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each drop of dough with the palm of your hand.
-
Bake 12-14 minutes or until cookies are just set and slightly golden brown around the bottom. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
-
Whisk together powdered sugar, violet syrup, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust as needed.
-
Add small drops of red and blue gel food coloring, mixing together until glaze is the desired shade of purple.
-
Dip cookies into the glaze and let set.