This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Crystallized Violets Recipe is perfect for a Spring project with children. You can use the violets from your own garden if you don’t use any chemical treatment.
What is the violets festival?
On the French Riviera, Spring is announced in March when violets start blossoming all over the gardens.
At the renowned Violets Festival in Tourettes-sur-Loup you can eat them in different ways: ice cream, jam, jelly, candy. Tourettes-sur-Loup is just across the valley from our garden and the seeds must have spread naturally.
You can find violets everywhere!
This year my son Francesco decided to have our own Violet Festival in our garden. So he started a treasure hunt searching around the garden to find as many as he could.
I must say he was successful, having found enough to get a project going: 2 oz – 50 gr of violets with a nice intense perfume. We do not use any chemical treatment in our garden, so our violets are safe to eat.
Francesco loves sweets, so he decided to make crystallized violets.
How to make Crystallized Violets
The petals are very delicate and a hot caramel would ruin the beauty of the flower. As I wanted to keep them intact for decorating cakes, I decided to use a method that would preserve them, and here is the recipe.
For 2 oz – 50gr of violets we used:
- 1 egg white
- caster sugar
I did not use icing sugar as I wanted a nice crystal effect.
- Picked the flowers with long stems so you can hold them without damaging them.
- Prepared a bowl full of fresh water and rinsed the flowers one by one.
- Placed them on a cloth to dry, not under the direct sun, but on the kitchen counter
- Slightly whisk the egg white and with a brush, spread the egg white inside and outside the flower
- Lay them on a parchment paper and removed the stems.
- Sprinkle the flowers with castor sugar and let them dry out in a warm and dark place for a couple of days.
- Once dried store them in an airtight container covering them with sugar.
What a perfect edible gift!
You can find more edible gifts here below:
Having such a beautiful colour and scent, I decided to use them to decorate a Swiss Roll Sponge. To contrast the colour as well as the flavour, I filled it with buttercream and sprinkled with pistachios. You can also use them to decorate the Almond Meringue and Butter Cream Cake
All recipes below.
Enjoy your own Violet Festival!
Homemade Crystallized Violets
Instructions
- Pick the flowers with long stems so you can hold them without damaging them.
- Prepare a bowl full of fresh water and rinse the flowers one by one.
- Place them on a cloth to dry, not under the direct sun, but on the kitchen counter.
- Slightly whisk the egg white and with a brush spread it inside and outside the flower.
- Lay them on a parchment paper, remove the stems.
- Sprinkle the flowers with castor sugar and let them dry out in a warm and dark place for a couple of days.
- Once dried store them in an air tight container covering them with sugar.
Notes
Tips for making crystallized violets
- Make sure the violets are picked from gardens with no chemical treatments
- Hot caramel would ruin the beauty of the flower
- For a nice crystal effect use normal sugar, not icing sugar
- Picked the flowers with long stems so you can hold them without damaging them.
- Do not place the violets to dry under the direct sun
- Store them in an airtight container covering them with sugar
How lovely. I just saw this cake roll recipe the other day. It looks delicious and so nice with the crystallized violets.
Thank you Ginny
So many options for these! So pretty!
thank you
Wow, I never realised it was so easy to make your own crystallized flowers! These look so pretty and would be the perfect finishing touch to so many bakes!
it is, the secret is not to pick too many violets otherwise it will take ages
I have never considered the process of crystallizing violets, and see that it requires a lot of patience. But the results are worth it, they are so lovely to add as decoration.
it does require a lot of patience, I always look for little helpers
These are so pretty! Such a lovely idea and perfect for decorating cakes 🙂
thank you, it is a nice project