Having been very taken with my little bottle of Rose extract, I can now safely say I am hooked on all things floral when it comes to baking. I think it’s the smell that draws me in and the taste is somehow quite exotic. It is definitely a case of being subtle with your flavourings though, because what can taste heady and aromatic could quite easily turn into eating your way through a bottle of Yardley’s finest eau de toilette!
But, I have used my extract so much recently that I wanted to get myself some real rose petals to see how they compare. Now, my first ever flat was in Notting Hill (no, I am not loaded, was a shared ownership but still a good find) and I used to love nothing more than a wander down to my favourite street, Blenheim Crescent, to go and browse at Books for Cooks. This would be followed by a trip to The Spice Shop.
I knew this was where I wanted to get my petals from and it is still one of my favourite shops to this day. Trouble is, I am not a 5 minute walk away. If only I was (sniff,sniff). Well you guessed it, I just ordered my petals online.
This is a simple yet delicious recipe for rose petal shortbread using only five ingredients.
Rose petal shortbread
A scented rose petal shortbread recipe for crumbly buttery heaven.
Ingredients
- 175 g plain flour
- 125 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 50 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp organic rose petals chopped finely
- 1/2 tsp rose water
Instructions
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Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees
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Place the flour, chopped up butter, rose petals, rosewater and sugar in a bowl and mix it together until the mixture begins to form a ball of dough. It is best to use your hands to squeeze the dough together
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Grease a small sandwich tin with a little butter and place the shortbread in the tin
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Press it into place and sprinkle with some extra caster sugar before baking for 15 minutes
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I turned the oven up to 200 degrees and cooked it for another 5 minutes to give it a lovely golden brown colour
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Once out of the oven sprinkle with more caster sugar and cut the shortbread into portions. This is easier when the dough is still warm
That rose shortbread is SUCH a wonderful Tea Time Treats entry thanks Laura! JUST wonderful…….can I also say that I am also a HUGER lover of sumac too, used to use it in the restaurant in Cyprus all the time for grilled mealts and kebabs! THANKS for your fabulous floral entry!
Karen
Me too Karen. Love sumac,it’s so citrussy! Let’s hope we can get some BBQ weather to use it soon :-)x
Sounds like a great twist on a classic – must try soon
Thanks Heather, it does give shortbread a surprise little twist!!
This is such a gorgeous idea. Shortbread is so sweet and delicate I can imagine it works wonderfully with the floral scents. Your photos are so pretty too 🙂
Thank you! Always good to add a surprise to the classsics every now & then 🙂
Lovely idea to make it with Rose! Perfect for teatime. Can’t believe you lived in noting hill , I used to live just off Blenheim crescent. Miss it! Xx
Well to think we were neighbours all those years ago! Probably saw you in the bookshops I’m sure :0)
This looks fantastic. I haven’t cooked with rose petals, only rose water. very tempted!
Thanks Becky, i would definitely recommend them!
What a fantastic entry Laura- the rose petals are beautiful! I loved your warning about ensuring rose themed bakes don’t veer too much into Eau de Toilette territory! And we live really near to Books for Cooks and the Spice Shop, I agree a wonder down to explore and mooch on a Saturday morning is a very fine way to spend a weekend!
Oh I do envy you still living up in that part of town. Maybe I will one back one day! So many good memories 🙂
This looks lovely and perfect for Teatime Treats! It’s great that you’ve used rose petals. I like rosewater in bakes, it always reminds me of Turkish Delight. I wouldn’t mind a bit with a cup of tea right now! 🙂
Thanks Laura, I am into the Rose flavour at the moment and I can tell you it does go very well with tea! x
Laura, your shortbread looks so pretty, what a lovely idea. Love this post as I too am a big fan of roses. I have a single rose which usually only produces a couple of flowers each year as our garden is rubbish for roses, but it’s a dark red scented one and I usually use the petals for cooking in some way shape or form. Would love to go to Books for Cooks. One day I will take a trip to London specifically to go there and then take in a tour of the chocolate shops 😉
Am now off to find out what Furikake is.
I am sorry roses don’t do too well where you live. Luckily they do seem to like our chalky soil here. I think you might like the Furikake though!
I saw your recipe on Guardian.com (congratulations, by the way) & had to try it. What a lovely treat. With no dried ones on hand, I plucked 2 (unsprayed) roses from my garden & microwaved the petals dry. The term “sandwich tin” was a puzzle to me, but it worked fine in an 8-inch cake pan. Just in case my shrub roses weren’t flavorful, I added a pinch of salt & drop of vanilla. So easy, so good & so pretty. Thank you for this!