Elevate your cookies with edible dried flowers! These delicious, buttery Vanilla Rose Shortbread Cookies are glazed and topped with dried edible roses, for an easy, but special and romantic sweet treat.
I thought these cookies with edible flowers were particularly fitting for Valentine's day, since they make a nice number or treats (16 beautiful cookies!), they can be made ahead and they are easily transported and shared.
I'm sure there are lots of great ladies in your life that you'd like to gift a delicious cookie to tell them how special they are to you, right? And there's just something special about biting into a beautiful, buttery shortbread cookie that's all decked out in roses! Add a cup of tea or a bottle of wine and you've got a lovely celebrate the lovely ladies in your life moment :)
Of course, all these treats would be equally at home on Valentine's Day, as well, to celebrate the other special people in your life, too.
Cook’s Notes
If you have a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, that would be ideal for these cookies. Not only will you be able to remove them from the pan easily, you will get a lovely scalloped edge around the outside of your cookies.
I didn’t have a 9-inch tart pan though, so I used a 9-inch round cake pan lined with a round of parchment on the bottom. It bakes up just as well, but makes it a little trickier to remove the cookies after they’ve cooled. I find that lifting out the first cookie with a fork from the thick, outside edge is the easiest way to go. Once you have the first one out, it’s a breeze after that. If it happens to break, consider it a “baker’s sample” and eat it. You’ll still be able to make a nice circle of cookies even if you’re missing that one ;)
When pressing your dough into your pan, do your best to smooth the top as much as possible, as it doesn't level itself much as it cooks, so any bumps there now will be there later.
Be sure that you use EDIBLE dried roses. These are roses that have been grown, harvested and preserved with the intention that they would be consumed, so they are free from pesticides and are treated like food. I ordered a small bag online and they showed up in my mailbox in 2 days! If you live in a larger city, you will likely find a source for edible dried flowers locally.
Whenever you incorporate dried flowers in your baking, be sure to add them with the butter (and not the dried ingredients), as I have done here.
As you dip your cookies to glaze, you may start to get some small bits of cookie in your glaze. Simply use a spoon to move those bits to the edges, away from where you are dipping, so you don’t get cookie bits in your glaze.
I’ve increased the amount of glaze here, as I find that it’s much easier to dip when you start with a good amount of glaze. You don’t want to be scraping the bottom of the bowl. That’s not going to make pretty cookies. Having more glaze to start just avoids all that, but it does mean that you will have more than you need to glaze all these cookies. I hate to waste, but it’s only a bit of icing sugar and lemon juice. Or if you happen to have other baking that needs a dollop of something, you can use your extra that way.
Vanilla Rose Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 1/2 Tbsp edible dried roses
- 3/4 cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt , less if using salted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Topping:
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste well mixed with 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp water, or vanilla
- 1/4 cup edible dried roses
Instructions
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter for 15-20 seconds, then add the dried roses and mix to combine. Add icing sugar vanilla and salt and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in flour just until combined.
- Press dough into a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom (or alternately, a 9-inch round cake pan, lining the bottom with a round of parchment paper.) Flatten dough with the palm of your hand to make a smooth surface. Using a sharp knife, score the surface of the dough in to 16 wedges. Prick each wedge with a fork twice. Refrigerate pan with dough until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300F.
- Bake cookies in preheated oven until firm and pale golden, about 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then, using a sharp knife, cut through the score lines you made before baking, wiping off the blade between each cut. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
- Meanwhile, prepare glaze by whisking together the vanilla bean paste and water so it is well incorporated. Add to the icing sugar and stir well until smooth. Tip: Be sure to use a bowl that will allow you to dip the cookies in flat from end to end, so it should be at least 5-inches wide. That said, don't use too big a bowl or your glaze will be too thin a layer and you may bottom-out when you dip).
- Prepare your dried roses by taking about half of them and breaking them into smaller bits with your fingers. Keep separate from your larger dried rose pieces and set aside.
- Remove cookies from pan to a rack. Holding a cookie by the sides, dip the top of the cookie into the glaze to coat. Hold point side down and allow the excess to drip off. Gently remove any drip at the point end by running it along the edge of the bowl. Place on to rack. Once you've done about 4 wedges, sprinkle those ones with some of the edible roses before the glaze sets to much that they won't stick. I like to sprinkle a bit of the smaller stuff first, sprinkling over the outer 2/3 of the wedge (leaving the narrow end clear). Then sprinkle some of the larger pieces at the wide end. Repeat until you have glazed and sprinkled all the cookies.
- Allow to stand until the glaze is set, about 1 hour. Store in a flat even layer in an airtight container. These keep well stored at room temperature for about a week. These would also freeze well!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.
Hi! I'm Jennifer, a home-cook of many years and a lifelong seeker of delicious food! I'm an equal opportunity eater. I enjoy eating all the foods!
Amanda Hall says
These are stunning! Does the glaze set well enough to seal and mail the cookies without it getting messy?
Jennifer says
Hi Amanda, the glaze sets up very well, so it shouldn't be messy. That said, the glaze only goes on the top, so it doesn't really "seal" the cookie, per se.
Tina says
Made these for my coworkers and they absolutely loved them. Definitely making this recipe all spring :)
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Tina :) Thanks so much!
Annette says
Such a beautiful dessert! I have accomplished creating your Lemon Pistachio cookie recipe, and love them. Now I am looking forward to trying this one. All I need to do is find edible roses :)
Jennifer says
Glad you are enjoying these, Annette :) Thanks! I bought my edible roses online. Easy and not expensive.
Laura | Tutti Dolci says
So beautiful! The glaze and edible roses make such a pretty topping!
Jennifer says
Thanks Laura :)
Marilee says
These look lovely! When you say "or vanilla" (in place of vanilla bean paste) do you mean vanilla extract?
Jennifer says
Hi Marilee, Yes, I did mean vanilla extract here :)
Katherine Turro says
These are beautiful! I love how you made them into a triangle shape - they look perfect for tea!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Katherine :)
Kendall says
These have my mouth watering! So simply elegant but delicious, i'm sure!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Kendall!
Meg | Meg is Well says
These cookies are so beautiful!!! They really are perfect for Galentine's or Valentine's Day and would make such a pretty gift!
Jennifer says
Thanks Meg!
Tessa says
Wow. First of all, I love shortbread, secondly, the icing on it looks soo good, and then the topper is the edible flowers. Amazing.
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Tessa :)
Suruchi Avasthi says
Okay wow these are absolutely gorgeous! They would definitely be so cute for any Galentine's gathering (:
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Suruchi :)
Tamara Andersen says
So pretty! I have never tried rose petals (and that's sayin' something because I cook with offal :-) )... Your Vanilla Rose Shortbread Cookies look like a work of art - almost too pretty to eat! I'd have to force myself to take that first bite. Lol. I always say "I eat with my eyes," and this one is so stunning. Happy Galentine's Day lovely!
Jennifer says
Lol! That is sayin' something ;) And I'm definitely an eat with my eyes type too. I have to say, I felt very special when I was eating these! Thanks :)
Debs says
Absolutely gorgeous! I love bringing dry flower petals into my baking and these look beautiful. Delicate crumbly short bread, sweet and tangy glaze and fragrant rose petals. Stunning! Pinned.
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Debs :)
Allison says
Delicate and gorgeous! What stunning photos to match an awesome recipe. :-)
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Allison :)
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Absolutely beautiful Jennifer! You know my love for shortbread, so I'll be baking a batch shortly!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)
Milena Perrine says
Very, very clean and elegant look! Love how classy these are, like you say - perfect for such a variety of occasions. Happy Galentine's Day! The edible rose petals are such a sweet touch:)
Jennifer says
Thanks Milena :)
Stephanie says
Would you be able to provide a link where you purchased the rose petals online? Thanks!
Jennifer says
Hi Stephanie, it's been a while, but I think I ordered them here - https://www.sunrisebotanics.com/collections/dried-flowers?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvIT5BRCqARIsAAwwD-SfqLQj-sQyrYDnNJRlYPDg0lpZ4x_BjboFCKtUm6bDhNZsp4VccWgaAlbxEALw_wcB
sue | theviewfromgreatisland says
Can I just say, this takes my breath away, sharing and pinning and going to check out everybody else's recipes, great work Jennifer!!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Sue! :)
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Forget dessert, this looks like artwork, Jennifer! Love those edible flowers!! So so pretty!!
Jennifer says
Thanks Dawn! These were so fun to make (and eat :)
[email protected] says
I love shortbread and yours is always so very pretty...so very pleasing! Happy Galentine's Day, my friend!
Jennifer says
Thanks Annie!
Cindy says
Oh my goodness, all of my gals will love these gorgeous cookies. They are stunning and everyone will feel like they were spoiled with beautiful flowers in the process of eating these buttery vanilla cookies. YUM!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Cindy :)
Chris Scheuer says
I never heard of Galentine's Day but it's funny, my daughter is flying in to visit on the 13th and we're going to a concert with a few of my friends and their daughters! I'll have to tell them all about Galentine's :) And make a pan of these beautiful shortbread cookies to share!
Jennifer says
That's so perfect! You are all set for Galentine's Day then :) Enjoy!
Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert says
What a lovely dessert for the celebration of Valentine's Day! I have never eaten rose flavored cookies but have always been intrigued. These are absolutely gorgeous Jennifer! Sharing and pinning.
Jennifer says
Thanks Tricia :) The Rose flavour is very subtle and pleasant. Just a lovely note!