Rose Petal Shortbread Cookies have the delicate flavor of rosewater with a pretty sprinkling of rose petals on top. They are so pretty and so delicious, and so easy to make.
This page may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure for policy details. I earn commissions if you shop through the links on this page.
Shortbread cookies are honestly one of my favorite cookies. I love the texture which is crispy tender and these buttery cookies just melt-in-your-mouth. You can add your favorite extracts, nuts, chocolates, sprinkles, and fruits to shortbreads. And, these cookies keep for several weeks and travel well, so wrap some up and give them as gifts.
Try these One Hot Oven shortbread recipes
If you love baking with spices these Chai Shortbread Cookies are filled with Chai tea and then dipped in chai icing.
Dark Chocolate Shortbreads are slice and bake cookies that are rolled in colorful sprinkles adding the perfect crunch, need I say more?
Who likes citrus? These Lemon Shortbread Cookies are made with lemon zest and lemon juice, so pucker up!
Cacao Nib Chocolate Shortbreads have just a hint of sea salt and that delicious bittersweet crunch from the cacao nibs.
What is rosewater?
- By steeping rose petals in water you can make rosewater and it is also the by-product of making rose oil.
- Rosewater is used for medicine, perfumes, religious purposes, and to flavor foods.
- Combine rose water with fruits, especially strawberries, and it does wonders in a sorbet. The flavor is mild and adds just a hint of rose. Try it in teas and lemonade and, rose water is a delightful addition to milk-based desserts.
This shortbread recipe combines both rosewater and rose petals that result in tender and pretty cookies, perfect with tea, a cappuccino, or even a light wine. I know you are thinking why buy a whole bottle of rose water for one recipe, well I’m here to tell you there are lots of uses for rose water, the list can be endless. I’ll share some uses later.
First, let’s talk about the cookie. When I made these shortbread’s I happened to have little rosebuds that I bought from a tea shop in San Francisco. We brew the rosebuds for tea, and occasionally I use these for recipes. You can buy the rosebuds at Vital Leaf Tea. Or using rose petals is much easier to use since they don’t have the hard bud in them. Just make sure your rose petals are food grade.
All other kinds of topping can be used for these dainty little cookies from coarse sugar, colored icing, pistachios, poppy seeds, white chocolate or maybe just put a pretty stamp on top. When you make the cookies, you get to decide what goes on top.
Ingredients
The beauty of making shortbread cookies is they contain a few ingredients, and they are so simple to make. Because this recipe uses rice flour they are also gluten-free.
- Rice flour
- Powdered sugar
- Cardamom
- Butter
- Butter
- Egg
- Rosewater
- Rose petals/rosebuds
Let’s make shortbreads
Step 1. In a small bowl mix the flour, powdered sugar, and cardamom together.
Step 2. In a mixing bowl beat the butter until smooth, then add the egg and rose water and beat until combined.
Step 3. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed until combined and a stiff dough forms.
Step 4. Take the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a small rectangle that is about 3″ wide and 1/4″ thick. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for two hours or overnight.
I made it this shape because I wanted to cut the shortbread into small logs, and another great thing about the logs is there is no wastage or rerolling of the dough. Gotta love that, right?
Step 5. To make the rose petal topping, remove individual rose petals from the bud and either grind the petals in a coffee grinder or crush them with your fingers. Pick out any hard parts of the rose petals. Sprinkle the petals on top of the dough and using a rolling pin gently press down on the petals to make them stick better.
Step 6. Cut the dough in half and then cut the dough into logs and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 – 25 minutes at 300 degrees F. The color of the petals will darken when baked.
These Rose Petal Shortbreads are tender and look so pretty with the rose petals and with just a hint of rose flavoring.
If you remember reading above I talked about other uses for rosewater. Besides these wonderful cookies, what else can there be?
Uses for Rosewater
- Use Rosewater on your face and in your hair. It’s a great toner and hair rinse.
- Use Rosewater as a perfume.
- Scent your sheets with rose water before you go to bed and you will have a peaceful sleep. Just put rose water in a spray bottle and mist your sheets.
- Roses are anti-inflammatory to use to treat skin conditions
- Use to flavor cakes, cookies, custards, fruits, and all kinds of desserts.
- Make some soap.
Rose Petal Shortbread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups rice flour
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp. rose water
- Rose petals for topping
Instructions
- Mix the rice flour, powdered sugar, and cardamom together in a bowl.
- Beat the butter until smooth with a mixer
- Beat in the egg and rose water until blended.
- With the mixer on low beat in the flour mixture to create a stiff dough
- Remove dough from bowl and place on wax paper or plastic wrap; wrap tight and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees
- Remove dough from wrap and roll on a floured board to the shape you choose. You can also use a cookie scoop and roll into balls then flatten.
- If using the dried rose petals - remove individual petals and crush using your hands or do a quick grind in a coffee grinder.
- Sprinkle the rose petals over your rolled dough and then press into the dough so the petals stick better.
- Cut dough into your desired shapes.
- Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 - 25 minutes or until bottoms are golden.
Nutrition
Follow One Hot Oven
Like what you see? Make sure you are following One Hot Oven for more tasty sweet and savory recipes!
Pinterest |Instagram | Facebook | Twitter |
Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog. Please leave a comment to say Hello or just let me know what you are baking these days, I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Have any questions or just want to chat about the recipe? Contact me here, and I’ll be happy to help!
About Jere’
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.
Leave a Reply