Cookies for Valentine’s Day
“I’ve got these new sweets for you.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Inspiration
Valentine’s Day is a perfect excuse to overdose on whimsy! Hearts, lace, flowers, I’m dazzled by the fun of it all. Roses are the traditional flower for Valentine’s Day and so with rose petals and rose water I was drawn into the kitchen.
Essentials
My plans for making a simple shortbread laced with rose petals took a detour when I misread the recipe. I altered the ingredients and ended up with an entirely new cookie. Less butter, then more butter, but still not enough to form the ingredients into a cohesive dough. In desperation I tossed in an egg and developed a buttery cookie that is the perfect foundation for the jam filled valentines. With crisp edges and a sturdier crumb than traditional shortbread, this cookie can be transformed to match any holiday attire. Use food coloring or not, decorate with frosting, candy, sprinkles or not, shape into a holiday motif or not. This is my Valentine for you.
The rose pairs so serenely with the strawberry I am planning on combining these flavors again. I envision a jam of rose and strawberry to slather on toast or scones. A strawberry shortcake laced with the aroma of roses. A summer tart bursting with strawberries and strewn with rose petals. Ice cream, cupcakes and perhaps even something chocolate. If you enjoy the scent of roses you will enjoy baking with them.
| Ingredients | |||
| 31/2C/440gr | all purpose flour | ||
| 1/2t/1gr | salt | ||
| 1C/226gr | unsalted butter, softened | ||
| 1C/116gr | sugar | ||
| 1t/2gr | vanilla extract | ||
| 1t/2gr | rose water | 1 | egg |
| 2T | dried culinary rose petals | ||
| 1/2C | strawberry jam |
- Heat oven to 350°. Line cookie sheets with parchment, set aside.
- In a medium size mixing bowl sift or shake through a large sieve the dry ingredients: flour and salt. Set aside.
- In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter until softened 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar and mix until thoroughly combined with the butter. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are combined. Add the vanilla extract and the rose water, mixing to combine. Add the dry ingredients and the rose petals and mix just until combined. Take care not to over mix. Once again, stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are combined. Divide the dough into two portions. Flatten the dough into disks and then wrap in plastic. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before forming the cookies.
- Heat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured work surface roll out the dough 1/4” thick. Cut out heart shaped cookies and place on baking sheet 1” apart. If using a Linzer cookie cutter, cut out an equal number of cookies for the tops and bottoms. Scraps can be chilled and rolled out to make more cookies. Baking time will depend on the size of your cookies: 8 minutes for small, up to 12 minutes for larger cookies. Take care not to let the cookies over bake. When done, the cookies will be just faintly brown around the edges. Cool completely prior to filling with jam.
- Fill the cooled cookies by spreading a thin layer of jam on the side of the cookies that rested on the cookie sheet while baking. Do this with half of the baked cookies. Take care not over fill the cookies as the jam will ooze out of the filled cookies. With the side of the cookie that rested on the cookie sheet, top the jam filled cookies with the remaining cookies. Press down gently to adhere the top to the bottoms of the cookies.
How absolutely gorgeous – I love the ‘hearts on string’ photos! Wonderful and the cookies look so delicious
Thank you for the delicious comment Oz!
Oh wow…i wonder how i missed these lovely cookies. They look stunning…never come across something like this. Beautiful…i wish i cud have some right away:)
Thank you for your delicious comment!
Simply gorgeous! Your photography and design are just….well….good enough to eat……thank you…..unfortunately I am in no way, shape or form up to this level of baking….as you probably know!!
Thank you Catherine! Your kind compliment means a great deal to me, as I find your photography to be stellar!
Such pretty delicate biscuits! I only ever use dried rose petals as decoration, never in the recipe (except jam), but these look so gorgeous with them in. Brilliant idea 😀
Thank you Kellie! I do want to make jam with rose petals. So looking forward to spring!
I’ve never baked with rose petals. How romantic and what a delicate flavor to add to those beautiful little cookies.
Thank you Geni! The cookies were fun to make!
What a lovely inspiration for Valentine’s Day – well done, Deb.
Thank you Gretchen! Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Lovely post. The cookies look amazing!
Thank you for your tasty comment El!
Who could resist these beauties! I’ve never eaten rose pedals in anything but this cookie might have to be the first. I can imagine that the rose pedals and the strawberry jam are a perfect duo.
Thank you Mary! These cookies turned out even better than I had planned, rose and strawberry are a winning combination!
Bee-yoo-tee-ful! And, so resourceful turning this into a gorgeous cookie.
Thank you so much Carol! You lovely comment is inspiring!
Simply lovely!!!!!!!!!!!
You made me want to eat cookies, Deb…
Oh Denise, these buttery morsels were scooped up by the handful! Thank you for commenting!
What beauties, the rose petals are such a lovely addition!
Thank you or your delicious comment Laura!
Those bits of dried roses are so pretty (in pink)! I like the idea of rose water more than the water itself, since I find it sometimes tastes soapy. But rose petals are so great. I have a vision of your scones with strawberry rose jam!
Thank you Paula! I prefer to combine the rose water with other flavors; by itself it can be overpowering.