To me there is nothing more beautiful than a fragrant rose. These sweet little rose shortbread cookies are an ode to old fashioned romance and love.
The rose speaks of love silently in a language known only to the heart —Rumi
My career in baking started when I was growing up in Finnish family. If you have ever had Scandinavian baked goods, you already know that they are some of the best in the world, made with real food ingredients like butter and cream and fragrant spices like cardamom. And usually not overly sweet. I grew up eating soft, delicious cardamom buns from my grandmother’s kitchen. My mother made traditional gingerbread cookies and blueberry pie. There is nothing like it!
Baking is more of a science than other things that I do in the kitchen. While most soups, stews, and other main course meals are quite forgiving with proportions and ingredients, baking has a set formula of wet to dry ingredients that is required to produce the right results. It has taken me a while to learn to bake with gluten and grain free flours as my dietary habits have changed.
And now, just like when I was growing up, my Little One gets to experience the art of family baking. I would love for her to have warm memories of our time together in the kitchen. We actually had a blast working on this recipe together.
These little rose shortbread cookies remind me of the simplicity of the baked goods that I grew up with. Slightly crispy with a hint of rose, they evoke a bit of romance and are the perfect cookie for this time of year. I am making them for my family for Valentine’s Day. I love how pretty they are with the crushed rose petals. Buttery sweetness!
The amount of cookies you get depends on the size of the cookie cutter that you use. I just adore heart shape cookie cutters, but feel free to use any shape that inspires you. Be sure to check out the tips I included at the end if the recipe if you want to skip the cookie cutters and use the easy method.
Wishing you much love and happiness. Hope you enjoy!
xo,
Katja
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PinIngredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), room temperature
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp rose water (like this)
- 1/4 tsp unrefined salt
- 2 cups almond flour (I use this brand)
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder (like this)
- 1 tbsp crushed edible rose petals, chopped fine (like this)
Instructions
- In food processor, combine butter, honey/maple syrup, rose water, and salt and process until creamy smooth.
- Add almond flour one cup at a time and pulse into wet mixture. Add arrowroot powder and pulse again until dough is well combined but not yet forming a ball of dough. Then sprinkle in chopped rose petals and pulse until dough is fully incorporated. Do not over-process as this destroys the flower petals.
- Remove dough from processor bowl and form into a ball. Place dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheet and shape into a round, flat patty. Cover with additional piece of parchment paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Once dough is firm, preheat oven to 325’F.
- Remove dough from fridge and very lightly dust top with arrowroot powder. Leaving dough in between 2 pieces of parchment paper, carefully roll out until about 1/4 inch thick all around. Using a cookie cutter, stamp out cookies and place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart. Collect and roll our dough scraps until all dough is used. Place dough back into fridge if it gets too soft.
- Before baking, place cookie tray into fridge for 15 minutes to chill. Then bake for 13-15 minutes, until cookies are slightly golden. Watch carefully as these cookies will brown very quickly towards the end.
- Remove from oven. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.
- Store leftovers in an airtight jar for a couple of days. Refrigeration extends shelf life. Recipe yield varies depending on size of cookie cutter used. I got 12 larger cookies and 10 smaller cookies.
Notes
– This dough can be done by hand or with a hand blender as well.
– Placing cut cookies into fridge before baking helps cookies hold their shape while baking.
– Instead of using a cookies cutter, this dough can be rolled into an 8 inch long log, rolled into parchment paper, and chilled. Once firm, simple slice dough into 1/4 inch rounds. Be sure to chill again for 15 minutes before baking.
– I use unsalted, grass fed butter for this recipe. If using ghee or coconut oil, reduce fat to 1/3 cup.
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anna groth says
January 27, 2016 at 4:05 pmThese look delicious, and the photos are beautiful! Can’t wait to try these.
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
January 31, 2016 at 8:52 pmThanks so much! Hope you enjoy them!
Renee Kohley says
January 30, 2017 at 11:11 amOh I want to make these for my girls! How special!!!
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
February 2, 2017 at 10:20 amMy girls LOVE them!
Stacey Crawford says
January 30, 2017 at 11:55 amThese are so pretty and perfect for Valentines Day!
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
February 2, 2017 at 10:20 amThank you! Yes, I am planning on making them for Vday. Maybe dipped in chocolate???
Georgina Young says
January 30, 2017 at 1:43 pmThese look absolutely stunning! I’m useless at baking cookies but this recipe looks super simple – and it has one of my favourite ingredients – rose water! LOVE <3
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
February 2, 2017 at 10:19 amThey are so easy to make. I’m totally self-taught so I don’t do anything fancy. I hope you get to try them.
Mark Whelan says
January 30, 2017 at 3:11 pmHi Katja, I absolutely love shortbread cookies, I would love to give these a go. And your pictures are amazing! Wow! Great work :)!
★★★★★
Irena says
January 31, 2017 at 3:38 amThese look gorgeous!!! I would love to make a large batch to give to friends and family on Valentine’s Day.
Katja Heino says
February 2, 2017 at 10:19 amThey make a sweet gift. I love giving homemade goodies to friends!
Kari Peters says
January 31, 2017 at 9:30 amI think my love of baking comes from baking with my mom when I was little too, such a wonderful tradition, and these looks so beautiful!
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
January 31, 2017 at 9:15 pmI hope that my kids remember it too. It is so special to me!
Vanessa Woozley says
January 31, 2017 at 2:36 pmThese look so pretty.. gorgeous and lovely photos too, I can’t wait to try them.
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
January 31, 2017 at 9:15 pmHope you enjoy them! 🙂
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
January 31, 2017 at 8:23 pmThese are so gorgeous! I love using rose water in treats, it’s such a special ingredient. These are so perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Katja Heino says
January 31, 2017 at 9:14 pmThanks, Emily! I love love love treats with roses!
Erin Carter says
January 31, 2017 at 8:42 pmI’ve never baked with rosewater before. What a good idea!
Katja Heino says
January 31, 2017 at 9:13 pmRoses have always been so romantic to me. I love it!
Real Food with Dana says
February 1, 2017 at 9:18 amOhh how creative!! love this idea. And love that I have all you blogger friends to make baked goods because I’m so horrible at it, haha!
Katja Heino says
February 2, 2017 at 10:18 amHA! We all have our gifts. I love baking.
Michele Spring says
February 1, 2017 at 7:42 pmThese are so pretty! I don’t know if I’ve ever had rose water in a dessert before but I am definitely intrigued and now need to try it! I love discovering new flavors. Makes the world an exciting place for sure!
Katja Heino says
February 2, 2017 at 10:17 amRose water is so good. It pairs well with chocolate too!
Cristina Curp says
February 2, 2017 at 10:07 amHow delicate and delicious! These are stunning.
Katja Heino says
February 2, 2017 at 10:16 amThank you! They were so fun to make!
Jessica DeMay says
February 3, 2017 at 6:01 pmThese are so cute! I would have never thought to put rose in a cookie, but it sounds delicious!
Katja Heino says
February 10, 2017 at 9:39 amThe rose flavor is mild and goes perfectly with the shortbread.
Becky Winkler (A Calculated Whisk) says
February 3, 2017 at 8:22 pmThese are so beautiful! I usually don’t like flowery tastes in my food but I bet I would enjoy these buttery cookies.
Katja Heino says
February 14, 2017 at 9:10 pmThe rose taste is so nice and light. It goes perfectly with the crispy cookies.
Carrie Forrest says
February 5, 2017 at 11:42 amThese are so pretty and lovely!
Katja Heino says
February 10, 2017 at 9:37 amThank you, Carrie!
Hannah Healy says
February 5, 2017 at 11:48 amThese are perfect to give to my Valentine!
Katja Heino says
February 10, 2017 at 9:37 amYes! I’m making them for my kids again this year!
Amy says
February 5, 2017 at 5:32 pmI love these cookies! So pretty and I am so in the mood for some grain-free desserts after Whole30 🙂
Katja Heino says
February 10, 2017 at 9:37 amThanks, Amy! Hope you enjoy!
ChihYu says
February 5, 2017 at 9:33 pmThese cookies are exactly what I want it everyday after dinner ! So delicious !!!
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
February 10, 2017 at 9:37 amYes, exactly! Sweet but not too sweet!