Dandelion Drop scones with Dandelion Syrup.

I first made Dandelion syrup last year, Like many before me, I was amazed at how similar to honey it tasted! I guess it kinda makes sense when you consider that bees use the same ingredients.

There are lots of recipes online for “dandelion honey” and although the similar taste is certainly mentionable, I think it’s rather insulting to bees to call it honey, after all, honey is such an incredibly unique substance into which vastly more effort is invested! (incomparable to the simple process of boiling flowers with water and sugar)

Admittedly the origins of the word seem to relate more to the colour than the source but I prefer to call it syrup.

Whatever you want to call it, it’s good, really good!

I decided to make just a small batch on this occasion as I didn’t want to pick all the Dandelions in my garden, and when I had strained the liquid I was looking at the flower pulp thinking I could make something with that…

Drop scones! (also known as Scotch Pancakes or just pancakes in American)

Being a busy week, I had to patiently wait until the weekend to make them and, after a week of cold and rain, I was very excited to wake up to sunshine on Saturday morning!

The dandelion flowers were still sleeping, tightly closed, waiting for the sun to warm the dewy ground, and as I wanted a couple for photo/garnish, I kept a close eye on their progress as I prepared the batter. You can see the photo’s here.

Enough chit-chat, on with the recipes!

Dandelion Syrup Recipe

Ingredients:

• Dandelion Flowers -20-30 heads
• Lemon -small slice
• Sugar – 3/4-1 cup
• Water -2 cups (use filtered, to avoid nasty chemicals)

Method:

Pick flower heads when they are in full bloom, ideally on a sunny day.

It’s preferable not to wash them to retain the pollen, better to give them a shake and lay them out on a towel to allow any critters to evacuate. However, if you prefer to wash them for any reason, you’ll still have a nice syrup, the flavour may be less intense.

To remove the yellow petals from the green part (known as the receptacle) take a firm hold of the petals in a bunch, holding as close to the bottom as possible and pull gently from one side, almost as if you are trying to bend them. It may take a bit of practice. (see notes)

Add the petals, water and lemon slice to a pan and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15-30 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave to steep overnight. I have left it for longer in the fridge.

Strain the liquid into a pan, squeezing the pulp to get all the good juice.
Remember to save the pulp for the Drop Scones!

Add 3/4 cup of sugar to the liquid and bring to a gentle simmer, uncovered. Stir once to disperse the sugar, turn down the heat and after about 10 minutes carefully check the taste and add more sugar if needed. Continue to simmer until it begins to thicken slightly.

 

I made the syrup quite runny, you can check the consistency by using a spoon to drip the mixture onto a cold plate. Once you are happy with it, prepare your glass jar: I swill with boiling water to sterilise and heat the container.

Pour the syrup into the jar and allow to cool before screwing on the lid and refrigerating, ready for use.

Notes: Some recipes recommend separating the petals, however others claim it’s not necessary. I am not sure how the green bits would affect the flavour of the drop scones though. (let me know if you decide to try it) I recommend having a look at this Danish recipe which has a lot of useful tips!

Dandelion Drop Scones Recipe:

Ingredients:

• Plain flour -1 cup
• Vanilla Sugar -1 TBS *
• Pinch salt
• Bicarbonate of soda -1/2 tsp
• Baking powder -1/2 tsp
•  

• Plant milk -1 cup
• Oil -1TBS
• Apple Cider Vinegar – 1tsp
• Flower petal pulp

*Vanilla sugar: When I’ve used vanilla pods, I always save the fragrant stems (even after using and rinsing) and store them in a large jar which I keep filled with sugar. The flavour lasts forever!
You can just add a little vanilla in whatever form you prefer. (eg. essence)

Method:

Pre-heat a non stick frying pan or griddle on medium heat.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

Combine wet ingredients in another bowl or jug. (I used a balloon whisk but the flower pulp got all tangled and was a bit of a pain to remove, so a wooden spoon might be better)

Pour wet ingredients into flour mixture and stir thoroughly until you have a thick batter.

Lightly oil the pan and drop spoonful’s of batter onto the hot surface.

As bubbles appear and the edges begin to dry, flip and cook the other side for a minute or two.

That’s pretty much it!

 

I don’t want to tell you how to eat them; if you have enough self-restraint you could keep them warm in a low oven while you cook all the batter, but we just scoff them as they’re ready; hot from the pan and drizzled with deliciously sweet Dandelion syrup!

 

I hope you like this recipe and decide to try it for yourself! Please let me know in the comments below and share any suggestions or improvements.

Thanks for reading.

Happy Foraging Foodies!