Westport Baker Whips up Cookies with Surprising Ingredient

Emily Whipple’s scallop-edged cookies are a splash of spring on a plate: Dusty green sprigs of rosemary and pink gomphrena petals with a dash of bright red cayenne. Whipple has been chef and kitchen manager at Weatherlow Farms in Westport for nearly two years, cooking up prepared foods to showcase the farm’s grass-fed meats and eggs, and baking these botanical cookies since January of 2019, when she teamed up with floral manager Phoebe Poole.

“We started working together to focus on ways to showcase the gorgeous flowers and herbs Phoebe grows, which were originally only for her wholesale cut-flower and fast-growing wedding businesses,” says Whipple. “There are many herbs and flowers that she uses in her arrangements already that are edible and that we wanted to be able to share with our customers. This is how the botanical cookie was born.”

After a few trials and taste tests, Whipple found the winning recipe: A sugar cookie that’s simultaneously sweet, salty, and melt-in-your-mouth. They’re the perfect base for the seasonal flowers, leaves, and herbs to be pressed on top and finished with sanding sugar for sparkle. “The cookies are a lot of fun to make because the colors and textures are forever changing as the months tick on, which means I get to have a lot of fun creating them,” says Whipple. “Even though the base is the same, this traditional cookie that I always think is underrated is given a life of its own.”

Find these clever cookies available for pickup at The Store at Weatherlow Farms – and don’t forget to try Whipple’s latest botanical goodies, including fresh-made brioche donuts and the pastry featured in their pot pies.