These beautiful floral cookies have been been a staple for orders and in my kitchen for years now. Consisting of a buttery shortbread base that manages to both be crispy and melt in your mouth, they are balanced with a not-too-sweet glaze and topped with dried edible petals. A perfect baking project for spring, these cookies keep well and are such a lovely gift for friends.
Floral Shortbread
Makes 30-36 cookies
For the shortbread
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons extract of choice (vanilla, almond, rose, orange blossom)
2 teaspoons spice (cardamom, earl grey tea, chamomile tea), optional
2 1/2 cups flour
For the glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon rosewater
Water
Topping ideas
Dried rose petals, cornflower petals, calendula petals, peony petals, jasmine flowers,
small rosebuds, chopped pistachios / nuts.
Preheat oven to 300F degrees.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter, sugar, extract and spice of choice until creamy. For flavorings, you can add more or less depending on what flavors you love. The above ratios will result in a subtle flavor with the focus on the buttery shortbread. Add flour to butter mixture and beat slowly until fully combined and dough starts to form into a ball.
Transfer dough to a floured surface and divide in two. You can either pause here and wrap dough with saran wrap and store in the refrigerator until later or roll immediately. I prefer to roll the dough while it is still soft and very pliable.
Roll dough out on floured surface to about 1/8" thickness. Cut into desired shapes and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place tray of unbaked cookies into the freezer for about 20 minutes until hard to the touch. Once frozen, bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly golden on sides. Allow cookies to cool completely on tray before decorating.
Once cookies are cooled, make the glaze. In a small bow, combine powdered sugar, lemon juice and rosewater. Mix until it turns into a thick paste and slowly add in a teaspoon of water at a time until you reach a nice glaze consistency -- thin enough to flow easily off a spoon, but thick enough to keep it's shape on the cookie. If it's too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar and if it's too thick add more water.
For decorating, I follow the dip, drip and flip method. Simply dip the top of the cookie into the glaze and slowly lift cookie up allowing all the excess icing to drip off. Once the glaze stops dripping, flip cookie and place on a wire track. While glaze is still wet, top with dried petals for decoration. I like to work in batches, glazing and decorating a few cookies at a time.
Allow cookies to dry for a minimum of six hours, I prefer to let them sit overnight. Once dry to the touch, enjoy or store in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies should keep for two to three weeks.
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