Wild Flower Chocolate Syrup
You absolutely read that right. This is wild flower chocolate syrup made from everyday flowers. Flower syrup is not only easy to make and a great activity to do with the kids but it also is absolutely delicious and naturally vegan.
Supplies
Before I even get started on supplies I'm going to stress that this instructable includes foraging flowers. Please ALWAYS know which plants you are harvesting! There are many apps, the internet and endless books explaining and showing which plants are edible and safe.
For this chocolate syrup you will need the following;
-Sauce pan
-Whisk
-Measuring cups and spoons
-Strainer and filters (cheese cloth, microfiber filters or cotton filters work great)
-candy thermometer
-mason jars with lids and bands
-4 cups flower petals*
-4 cups water
-4 cups sugar
-2 tablespoons lemon juice**
-1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* For this batch I am using a mix of Dames Rocket petals, multiflora rose petals, and peonies petals. There are endless combinations of flowers that work great including lilacs, honeysuckle and dandelions. Again, please always double check which flowers you are using. Also never use flowers that grow in an area that is sprayed or treated with pesticide or any chemical.
** orange juice is a great alternative if you don't have lemon juice. Often I'll add up to 1/2 cup orange juice for a nice orange chocolate flavor.
For this chocolate syrup you will need the following;
-Sauce pan
-Whisk
-Measuring cups and spoons
-Strainer and filters (cheese cloth, microfiber filters or cotton filters work great)
-candy thermometer
-mason jars with lids and bands
-4 cups flower petals*
-4 cups water
-4 cups sugar
-2 tablespoons lemon juice**
-1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* For this batch I am using a mix of Dames Rocket petals, multiflora rose petals, and peonies petals. There are endless combinations of flowers that work great including lilacs, honeysuckle and dandelions. Again, please always double check which flowers you are using. Also never use flowers that grow in an area that is sprayed or treated with pesticide or any chemical.
** orange juice is a great alternative if you don't have lemon juice. Often I'll add up to 1/2 cup orange juice for a nice orange chocolate flavor.
Gather Your Flowers
We start with taking a walk and gathering a large bowl of flowers. We only use the petals so just grabbing the top of the flower works great. A quick shake to the flower also helps any bugs drop off the plant.
Once we've got a decent pile of flowers we can head inside to remove the petals. I simply grab the petals and gently pull them off the flower. Try your best to only get the petals and no greenery.
We will continue to de-petal until we have a good 4 cups of petals.
Once we've got a decent pile of flowers we can head inside to remove the petals. I simply grab the petals and gently pull them off the flower. Try your best to only get the petals and no greenery.
We will continue to de-petal until we have a good 4 cups of petals.
Steeping
Now that we have our 4 cups of petals we will put them in a good sauce pan.
Add four cups of water and bring to a slow boil on medium heat. I allow for it to boil for about 20-30 mins then shut off heat and cover the pot.
Allow the petals to steep in the pot for a minimum of 4 hours. The petals will lose some color as it sits but this is perfectly normal.
Depending on which flowers you use, removing the petals can be time consuming so when I'm using flowers that take several hours to de-petal (like dandelions) I often spend the afternoon removing the petals and steep over night.
Add four cups of water and bring to a slow boil on medium heat. I allow for it to boil for about 20-30 mins then shut off heat and cover the pot.
Allow the petals to steep in the pot for a minimum of 4 hours. The petals will lose some color as it sits but this is perfectly normal.
Depending on which flowers you use, removing the petals can be time consuming so when I'm using flowers that take several hours to de-petal (like dandelions) I often spend the afternoon removing the petals and steep over night.
Strain and Boil
Now that our petals have had time to steep we will filter the flower water.
I grab a clean pot and place a strainer in the top of it. I then lay my cotton filter inside the strainer.
Slowly pour your petal mixture through the filter. Once the whole pot is dumped in I always twist and squeeze the petals in the filter to ring out all the water.
Next we put our filtered flower water on the stove on medium heat.
I then add my 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and give it quick stir.
Next add 4 cups of sugar and stir until fully dissolved.
Allow flower water to boil until it reaches about 220°F on the candy thermometer
This is the time where I will start to sterilize my mason jars by putting the clean jars in the over on the lowest possible temp and allow them to heat for at least 20 mins.
I grab a clean pot and place a strainer in the top of it. I then lay my cotton filter inside the strainer.
Slowly pour your petal mixture through the filter. Once the whole pot is dumped in I always twist and squeeze the petals in the filter to ring out all the water.
Next we put our filtered flower water on the stove on medium heat.
I then add my 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and give it quick stir.
Next add 4 cups of sugar and stir until fully dissolved.
Allow flower water to boil until it reaches about 220°F on the candy thermometer
This is the time where I will start to sterilize my mason jars by putting the clean jars in the over on the lowest possible temp and allow them to heat for at least 20 mins.
Add Cocoa
Once the sugar water reaches 220°F I turn off the heat and allow to cool for a minute or two.
Now we add 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened cocoa, stirring until fully dissolved with no clumps.
Next add the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and continue to stir until smooth.
Carefully pull the sanitized jars from the oven and place them where they can be easily filled.
Slowly pour your chocolate syrup into the jars and cover with the lid. Lastly tighten down the bands and allow to cool.
That's it. Delicious homemade chocolate syrup made from the beautiful flowers that are often over looked. I really hope you give this a try for yourself and I highly recommend having some vanilla ice cream handy to enjoy your work.
Now we add 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened cocoa, stirring until fully dissolved with no clumps.
Next add the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and continue to stir until smooth.
Carefully pull the sanitized jars from the oven and place them where they can be easily filled.
Slowly pour your chocolate syrup into the jars and cover with the lid. Lastly tighten down the bands and allow to cool.
That's it. Delicious homemade chocolate syrup made from the beautiful flowers that are often over looked. I really hope you give this a try for yourself and I highly recommend having some vanilla ice cream handy to enjoy your work.