We all know that magnolia trees are very pretty with their distinctive pink and white flower petals. We also know that they smell nice. But few people know that you can use them to make delicious cookies, as well.
Luckily for all of us, the famous forager and food TikToker Alexis Nikole (@blackforager) is back with another one of her popular tutorials, in which she teaches us how to step just outside our houses and find and use delicious ingredients that we didn't even know were ingredients — in this case, magnolia petals.
"Did you know magnolia petals kind of taste like ginger?" the Ohio-based Nikole asks. "So we're going to do a play on a gingersnap cookie. It's a magnolia-snap cookie!"
Nikole starts by making syrup out of the magnolia petals. (Note: No magnolia trees were harmed in the process, as she uses a branch from a tree that was knocked down in a storm).
She then mixes the syrup with brown sugar and a fatty spread — she uses a vegan spread but says that butter is also an option — plus vanilla extract, flour, and cinnamon. Then, she simply rolls them into balls, coats them in sugar, and bakes them in the oven.
All in all, that's not a lot of work for a brand-new treat that we didn't even know existed until five minutes ago.
Making cookies out of fallen flower petals isn't just a fun and exciting new project — it's also good for the planet. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, up to 40% of all food goes uneaten. This food often ends up in landfills where it contributes to the overheating of our planet.
That means that foraging and making your own food is a great way to lessen your own impact on this ongoing problem. Not that we would suggest surviving on homemade cookies alone, but it can feel great to give yourself a treat knowing that it in no way contributes to the industrial overproduction of food.
Nikole's Instagram followers agreed and couldn't wait to try the project out for themselves.
"You are so talented you could make anything out of anything and make it taste delicious!!!!" writes one.
Another, more to the point, writes, "I COULD'VE BEEN EATING THAT S*** THE WHOLE TIME??"
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