A Korean Sweet Treat ~ Hwa Jeon with Honey and Flower Petals

The Prettiest Rice Tea Cakes ~ Hwa Jeon 화전

They’re simultaneously simple and sublime. Not exactly a cake nor a cookie, a doughnut nor a pancake. But a little disk of fried rice flour with a hint of sea salt, that’s all. Sprinkled with edible flower petals and drizzled with orange blossom honey. Served with rose petal tea.

With Spring right around the corner, this delightful Korean sweet treat called hwa jeon is certain to charm your guests.

This dessert is naturally gluten-free. It is made from glutinous rice flour also known as sweet or sticky rice flour. “Glutinous” refers to the type of rice, not gluten.

Hwa Jeon Recipe

• 1 c. glutinous rice flour
• 1/2 t. sea salt
• 2/3 c. warm water
• canola oil, for shallow frying

Makes about 10 hwa jeon.

In a mixing bowl, sift flour and salt together. Add water and mix well. Knead dough for 10 minutes. Form dough into disks.

Heat oil over medium-low heat. When oil is hot, add dough and cook until puffed and golden, then flip and cook the other side. Drain on paper towels.

Place rice cakes on a pretty platter. Sprinkle with flower petals then drizzle with honey.

Edible Flowers

As always, choose blossoms that are certain to be edible, grown without pesticides or chemicals, and only eat flowers in moderation. People with respiratory allergies and asthma may need to refrain from eating flowers. For my hwa jeon I use scented geranium and signet marigold from my garden. Geraniums are an especially good flower to pair with desserts due to their mild fruity flavors. Yellow marigold petals add a lemony note.

Rinse petals in a bowl of cool water, gently swooshing to remove any dirt. Spread out to dry on kitchen towels.

Warning: I have seen several recipes for hwa jeon online and in cookbooks that call for azalea flowers, but I have also read that azaleas are toxic. Wild azaleas growing in the mountains of Korea may be different than the variety grown in the US.

Rose Petal Tea

• 2 c. rose petals – red hued, super-fragrant are preferable
• 3 c. filtered water

Simmer rose petals in water for about 5 minutes. Strain and serve.

This recipe was inspired by Korean Cooking by Young Jin Song.

Creative Cooking Crew

featuring rice

The Creative Cooking Crew is a group of innovative food bloggers hosted by Laz of Lazaro Cooks! and Joan of FOODalogue. Each month brings a new culinary challenge with a round-up of all the entries posted at the end of the month. Although there is no real judging and the challenges are all just for fun, we take pride in sharing our entries, pushing our culinary limits.

February’s Challenge is RICE to which I am bringing my HWA JEON. Laz is showcasing all the rice dishes in the round-up on his blog.

Food Network’s

Comfort Food Feast

featuring cookies

Comfort Food Feast is a season long franchise where Food Network editors team up with bloggers to share recipes about everyone’s favorite comfort foods. Be sure to check out the Pinterest Board with over 100,000 followers called Let’s Pull Up A Chair! And if this hwa jeon got you in the mood for all things sweet you might enjoy taking a peek at other cookie recipes from some fabulous bloggers below…

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Quinoa Oat Cookies
The Heritage Cook: Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Meyer Lemon Curd
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: French Palmiers
Weelicious: Homemade Oreo Cookies
Devour: Top 5 Chocolate Cookies
Taste With The Eyes: A Korean Sweet Treat – Hwa Jeon with Honey and Flower Petals
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Cornmeal Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Ganache Filling
Red or Green: Chocolate, Almond and Ginger Cookies
Domesticate Me: Healthy Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Cherries and Sea Salt 
Food for 7 Stages of Life: Rose and Cardamon Nankhatai (Eggless Indian Shortbread Cookies) 
Virtually Homemade: Oatmeal Caramel Skillet cookie with Marshmallows and Chocolate 
The Sensitive Epicure: Almond Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free)
FN Dish: Cookie Comfort