Rose biscuits

[cleverthylacine]

1 stick softened butter
~1/2-3/4 cup organic cane sugar (I didn't measure it, just put it in until it seemed about right)
1/2-1 tsp vanilla
light dusting of cinnamon
1 tsp rosewater
1/2 oz candied rose petals
About 2-3 cups all purpose flour

Mash all but the last 2 ingredients together with a fork till it's well blended.
Add all purpose flour, a little bit at a time, until it's all kneaded into a nice ball and no longer tacky.

Then add another tsp rosewater or so. That will make the dough tacky; add more flour until it's not any more. If a pinch of it doesn't taste "rosey" enough do this again. (If you're not sure how rosey it should taste, here's the hint: you want to be able to taste roses, but you don't want to feel like you're eating perfume.)

Now it's time for candied rose petals. A small packet should be enough. Crush some of them fine. Knead them into the dough till well distributed.

Roll the dough out till it's about 1/2" thick. Sprinkle the top with a light dusting of more organic cane sugar. Cut out shapes.

Make the dough scraps into another ball and roll it out. Or eat it *g*

Bake at 365 degrees till your house smells like butter and roses and the edges get a little brown. Put them in the fridge and resist the temptation to eat them until they're a day old; the flavours are better after they've settled.

I usually make them in a heart shape.

I am planning a version with a lavender infusion instead of the rose water and candied violets instead of roses; I am going to make those in the shape of broken hearts.

I do not recommend making these with margarine for a vegan/pareve version. You can try it, but I have no information about it. Let me know if you do, that'd be interesting.

Comments

[feathertail]

I usually use vegetable shortening in my baking.

Where does one get / how does one make candied flower petals?

[cleverthylacine]

Candied flower petals can be ordered online from Market Hall Foods, if you can't find a local store that carries them. I've seen them at Amazon too.

I'd only attempt to make them (there are recipes, but I don't make them) if I had a source of pesticide-free flowers. Most florist shop flowers are inedible due to pesticide residues.

[cleverthylacine]

...you mean like Crisco?

[feathertail]

I don't know if it's like Crisco ... it's organic palm oil shortening from a supposedly sustainable source. It seems to work okay for baking things with.