These delicious and easy Lemon Romanesco Cookies are a fun way to use Romanesco! The vegetable brassica is a bit like a cauliflower/broccoli and has a pleasant nutty taste - perfect in cardamom cookies!
I’m always intrigued by romanesco, the green, spiky cross between a broccoli and a cauliflower.
Here I’ve added it to lemon cardamom biscuits, which compliment the mild, sweetly nutty taste of the vegetable.
They are difficult to come by when they’re out of season, but cauliflower can be substituted in this recipe if you can't find one.
Romanesco
Farmers markets are once again starting to be piled high with this psychedelic-looking vegetable.
Those bizarre, mesmerizing spikes and that lurid yellow-green colour always beckon me.
One of those vegetables that you can only buy in season (late summer to early autumn - stock up now!), these brassicas taste like cauliflower - mild and nutty - and can be cooked in the same way.
Sometimes called Romanesco Broccoli and sometimes Romanesco Cauliflower, you can steam, boil or bake it.
You could grate it to make cauliflower rice, make it in cheese sauce, or, as I plan to do next, segment those crazy spikes, toss them in miso paste and roast them in the oven.
unusual cookie recipes
Try these other unusual cookie recipes!
Sweet Potato and Ginger Cookies
Dandelion Petal and Lemon Cookies with Kale Lemon Drizzle
get the lemon romanesco cookies recipe
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
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📖 Recipe
Lemon, Cardamom and Romanesco Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (150g) raw Romanesco (or cauliflower)
- ½ cup (100g) butter softened
- ½ cup (100g) sugar
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 1 ½ cups (100g) oats
- 1 ⅛ cup (125g) self-raising flour Or plain flour and 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds ground in a pestle and mortar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F / 180C. Line a baking tray with parchment.
- Finely grate the Romanesco or whiz it in a food processor until it resembles fine crumbs. Heat it in the microwave, or in a dry pan on the stove, for 2 minutes to dry it out slightly. Allow to cool.
- Cream the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and juice and mix well.
- Stir in the romanesco, oats, flour and ground cardamom and combine.
- Roll the batter into balls, place on the prepared baking tray and press down lightly with a fork.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly on the tray and then cool completely on a wire rack.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Romanesco photo courtesy of Shutterstock by Isantilli
Ariane
Why did I found you only now?! I am totally enamoured with your recipe ideas ^^. I love combining foods in wierd ways and putting vegetables into everything is totaly my thing ^^. I can not eat anything without adaption, but your ideas are absolutely stunning and I will happely try to experiment with a lot of them ^^
plasterers bristol
Just delcious. Amything lemon, one of my faves this. Thanks .
Simon
Becca
I don't think I've ever cooked with romanesco, let alone put it in biscuits! These sound really yummy.
Camilla @FabFood4All
I have never bought a Romanesco but they do look so pretty as do your biscuits - genius idea! Thanks for another fab #CreditCrunchMunch entry:-)
kellie anderson
wow wow wow. You are a ruddy genius, Kate. This is so clever. Beautiful images and totally intriguing idea. Love anything with cardamom as well.
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
I love romanesco, or fractal cauuliflower as we call it! Beautiful cookies and a great use of it.
Kavey
Would never in a million years have thought to use romanesco in cookies but I bet it works beautifully!
recipesfromapantry
Oh my gosh. You already have 2 of my fav things (lemon and cardamom)
lucyparissi
I am very intrigued by your baking! Never in my life would I think to combine these ingredients in a cookie but they look fantastic. Yummed!
gingey bites
What an interesting idea! I've never thought to cook romensco like this! Thanks for sharing
the foodie couple
Such a pretty vegetable! never baked with it though - very interesting recipe!
Kavey
Oh I'd never have thought of romanesco in biscuits!!!