A stack of rose shortbread cookies
A stack of rose shortbread cookies on a plate

Rose Shortbread Cookies

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 30 cookies*
Author: Karie
These rose shortbread cookies are rich and buttery with a hint of rose from a combination of dried rose petals and a little rosewater.

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dried rose petals
  • 9 ounces unsalted butter, very soft
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon rosewater
  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • superfine sugar, (optional)

Instructions
 

For the rose sugar:

  • In a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind rose petals with sugar until they become a fine powder.

For the shortbread:

  • Preheat oven to 325° F.
  • Cream butter until light, fluffy, and very soft – it should be the consistency of mayonnaise. Add salt and rosewater and stir to combine well.
  • Add rose sugar and powdered sugar; cream with butter until thoroughly combined.
  • Sift together flour and cornstarch; stir into butter mixture just until combined.
  • Roll dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4" inch thickness. Do NOT add flour – it will make the final texture of your cookies tough.
  • Chill dough until firm, about 20 minutes.
  • Cut out desired shapes. You can use a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or a fluted pastry wheel, like I did here. Re-roll any leftover dough scraps to cut more cookies as needed, but try to minimize re-rolling and shaping dough, as it will get tougher the more you work it.
  • Chill cut cookies again until firm, about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 325° F while chilling.
  • Bake until cookies are just starting to brown at the edges; middle should still be light, about 12-15 minutes. Adjust cooking time if necessary, depending on cookie size (see notes).
  • While still slightly warm, sprinkle superfine sugar over the top of the shortbread cookies.

Notes

*You can make the cookies any size you like. I made mine about 2×2 inches, which will yield 30-36 cookies.
Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Did you try this recipe?

Be sure to leave a comment below!

About Karie

I'm a professional baker, recipe developer, photographer, and forager. I love sharing unique seasonal baking recipes with fun flavors!

More baking inspiration

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating