So, Spring is in full swing and you've got all these pretty flowers growing all over the place. You can do more than just look at them!
First of all, make absolute complete sure that what you have is a violet. Many flowers are toxic and could make you sick, so consult a field guide before eating anything in the wild. If you aren't sure, don't eat it!
OK, now that you have your violets, get together your supplies.
Wash your violets in water. (Make sure any violets you pick were not sprayed with pesticides)
With your tiny paintbrush, lightly coat the petals of the violet with egg white. (Do not soak them or dunk them into the egg whites)
Next, sprinkle the violet with sugar, then turn it over and sprinkle the other side. There is no need to shake the sugar off. Simply turning it over will remove excess.
Place all of your sugared violets onto your parchment paper and onto a cookie sheet.
There are three different ways to complete the final step.
If you live in a dry climate and like doing things the old fashioned way, simply leave them sitting out on your counter and wait for them to dry (up to 2 weeks).
The second method you can use is to pop them into the oven with only the pilot light on, and leave them there overnight.
My favorite method is to put them in the oven for a couple of hours with a temperature at 150-200 degrees F and leave the oven door open a few inches.
After the violets are dry, they are ready to eat! Put them on ice cream, cakes, cupcakes, or other lovely desserts.
Voila! Candied violets! You can store them in a tightly sealed container for up to a year.
Note: You will most likely have a lot of egg white left over. If you are planning on using it to make more violets at a later date, you can put the egg white in a small sealed container or in an ice cube tray and freeze it for up to 2 weeks until you need to use it again.
