Dried Pineapple Flowers

Dried Pineapple Flowers

Method from Annie’s Eats

To make dried pineapple flowers, I used the method found here.  In addition to that tutorial, here are a few tips and tricks I picked up along the way:

1.      Some people recommend using an under-ripe pineapple since they are easier to cut.  However, you will sacrifice flavor and color by using an under-ripe pineapple.

2.    Instead, use a ripe pineapple but cut it with a very sharp, serrated knife

3.    You know a pineapple is ripe when it smells like pineapple (before you cut into it).  Under-ripe pineapples will have very little scent.

4.    You can ripen pineapples at home by placing them in a brown paper sack on your counter.

5.     Try to cut the pineapple slices as thin as possible, so that they are almost translucent.

6.    If one end is too thick, lay the slice down and very carefully shave a bit off the top with your knife.

7.     Before placing the pineapple slices on baking sheets to bake/dry, place them between two paper towels and press down firmly to release some of the excess juice.

8.    If you cut crooked and get only a half slice (or less) don’t worry!  Simply place your pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle before pressing the liquid out.  When you press they liquid out, you can press your pieced together slice into one cohesive slice, just be very careful when moving it to the baking sheet.

9.    Bake the slices at 225 degrees F.  Check every 15 minutes, rotating the trays each time, and flipping the pineapple slices every 30 minutes (be careful when flipping your pieced together slices!)

10. Some slices will get done faster than others.  This is mostly dependent upon the thickness of the slices.  As they get done, move them to ungreased muffin tins to give them a cupped shape.

11.   On average, my flowers took about 1 hour 15 minutes to dry.  Thinner slices went faster, thicker slices took longer.

12. The dryer the flowers get in the oven, the darker and more brown they will be.

13. For flowers that are more yellow in color, remove them from the oven when they are mostly dry (but still a bit tacky).  Place them in the muffin trays and put them in a cool room with a dehumidifier for several days, checking frequently for signs of mold or spoilage.

14. To avoid browning, you can also try using a food dehydrator (I don’t have one, so I’m not sure how this would work).

15.  The flowers will maintain their shape when removed from the muffin tins.  However, when placed on cupcakes or cakes, the pineapple flowers will absorb some of the moisture from the frosting and will wilt within a couple hours, so only place them on cakes/cupcakes just before serving.

16. That beautiful “pollen” you see in the center is the dried core of the pineapple

17.  Done carefully, (and piecing together miscut pieces), one pineapple can yield at least 32 dried flowers