Fancy Fortune Flowers

by Stella Dias
(Sri Lanka)

Flower Cookies

A fun baking craft with a hidden message!

What You’ll Need:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons (cold) butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg yolk (save half for the dough and the other half for brushing)
1 whole egg (for egg wash)
Optional: paper strips for writing fortunes
String or ribbon (for threading fortunes)


How to Make Them:
Make the Dough:
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt.
Add cold butter. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Add half of the egg yolk and mix it into the dough with your hands until it holds together.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 10–15 minutes.


Roll & Cut:
Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface to about ⅛ inch thick.
Use your favorite cookie cutters (flowers are great!) to cut out cookies.
With leftover dough, roll it into thin strips and twist them to make "stems" about 6 inches long.


Build the Cookies:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray or butter it.
Place the stems on the tray. Brush with egg wash.
Place a cookie “flower” on top of each stem. Use a toothpick to poke a small hole at the top of the flower (for the fortune tag).
Brush the cookies and stems with egg wash.


Bake:
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let cool completely.


Add Fortunes & Decorate:
Write a small fortune on a paper strip and thread it through the hole in the cookie using string or ribbon.
Decorate with icing or colored sugar if you like.