spring flower sugar cookies on wire rack

Spring Flower Sugar Cookies

These spring flower sugar cookies are flavored with rose water in the cookie dough and glaze! The cookies are then topped with edible flowers. I made these cookies a few weeks ago, right when spring had officially sprung in Portland and the city was finally bursting with sunshine and fresh flowers.

spring flower sugar cookies on wire rack

Why You Should Make Spring Flower Sugar Cookies

Here are all the reasons to make these spring flower sugar cookies:

These spring flower sugar cookies are inspired by famed San Francisco patisserie, Craftsman and Wolves.

For this recipe, I was inspired by Craftsman and Wolves’ shortbread cookies (as seen in this beautiful spread by Bon Appetit magazine). Craftsman and Wolves is a fancy patisserie in San Francisco known for that cornbread muffin with the runny sunny side egg inside. I used to live a stone’s throw away from their location on Valencia Street. wWhenever folks were in town, I’d always insist on meeting them there so that we could split the famous muffin and anothe rone of their $12 pastries.

Although I never saw the flower shortbread cookies on sale, I think about them every time I see cakes decorated with flowers. Most flowers on cakes are inedible. They need to be plucked off before eating. But I really appreciated that Craftsman and Wolves used edible flowers for their cookies!

These spring flower sugar cookies are so beautiful that they were displayed in a famous Parisian museum.

It’s true! The Musée de l’Homme in Paris, France featured these cookies! The museum displayed these photos as a part of their exhibit on food from the point of view of the human body. I believe that the exhibition ran from from October 2019 to July 2020.

Cut out sugar cookie recipes always take all day in the kitchen. First, you have to make the dough, chill it, then roll it out to cut out the cookies. After that, the cookies need to be chilled again to ensure that they keep their shape when baked in the oven! Then, you then need to bake the cookies, cool them, and decorate them. All that work quickly adds up, turning a “simple” recipe into a time suck.

But when I was developing the sugar cookie recipe for my cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I quickly discovered some shortcuts. Using cold ingredients like cold eggs and butter means that you don’t need to chill the dough after making it. Instead, you can roll it out immediately! From there, chill the dough. Once the dough is firm, cut out the cookies from the cold dough and bake them immediately. Because the dough is still cold, there’s no need to chill the cut out cookies again!

hands decorating spring flower sugar cookies

Here’s your shopping list for this spring flower sugar cookie recipe:

Shopping List for Spring Flower Sugar Cookies

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • kosher salt
  • unsalted butter
  • granulated sugar
  • large eggs
  • rose water
  • confectioners’ sugar
  • heavy cream
  • edible flowers

And let’s talk about some key ingredients and their potential substitutions.

All-Purpose Flour

You need 3 and ⅓ cups all-purpose flour to make the spring flower sugar cookie dough.

Does a 1-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour work in these spring flower sugar cookies?

I’m sorry, but I don’t know. I rarely bake with those types of flour replacements because they’re expensive and my household is fortunate not to have any gluten restrictions. However, if you replace the flour in this recipe with any gluten-free alternatives, please leave a comment so I can update this post accordingly!

Large Eggs

You need 1 large egg to make the spring flower sugar cookie dough.

I don’t eat egg because of allergies and/or my diet. What can I use instead of egg?

I’m sorry, but I don’t 100% know. In general, my specialty lies in creating baking recipes with conventional ingredients.

That being said, an egg replacer in another cut out sugar cookie recipe with success, it’ll also likely work in this recipe. Why? The spring flower sugar cookies are made with a pretty standard cut out sugar recipe that’ll probably be pretty similar to what you’ve made in the past with the replacers.

However, since I’ve never tried the substitutions myself, I cannot 100% guarantee the results. If you replace the egg in this recipe with any of the options I provided, please leave a comment so I can update this post accordingly!

Rose Water

You need 2 teaspoons rose water to make the spring flower sugar cookie dough, plus another 1 teaspoon to make its glaze.

What is rose water?

Rose water is flavored water made by either steeping rose petals in water or distilling them in steam. It has a strong floral aroma of roses. Rose water has many applications and is a frequent ingredient in beauty products as well as cooking recipes. It works well in both savory and sweet recipes as it is neutral in flavor.

Note that there are many types of rose products. In addition to rose water, you can also get rose essence, rose oil, and rose extract. All these products are made differently, and yield varying amounts of rose.

Typically, rose essence and rose oil are not used for culinary purposes. I advise you to stick to using either rose water or rose extract when making these cookies. However, it’s important to note that there’s a difference between rose water and rose extract.

Rose Water versus Rose Extract for Baking

On Amazon, searching for “rose water” yields both “rose water” and “rose extract” products. Rose extract is more concentrated than rose water and is made with a different process. This process is more similar to that of making vanilla extract: alcohol is infused with crushed rose petals to flavor it.

I used rose water in these spring flower sugar cookies because rose water is typically more commonly available than rose extract. You can buy rose water in most major supermarkets in the United States (more on that below). However, you need to typically go to a specialty food or baking store to buy rose extract.

That being said, if you have rose extract on hand, feel free to use it in this recipe! Your cookies will be extra flavorful and delicious. Because rose extract is stronger than rose water, I recommend reducing the recipe quantity by ½ teaspoon in both the cookie dough and the glaze recipes.

Where To Buy Rose Water

Rose water is typically available in most major supermarkets in the United States. However, you’ll need to do some digging. Some supermarkets store it near the alcohol and seltzers since it’s an ingredient commonly used for cocktails. Other supermarkets store it in the “international” aisle, typically by the “Middle Eastern” foods.

The most common rose water brand I’ve seen is Cortas Rose Water. It is also one of my favorite brands because it is good quality, and relatively cheap (you get a lot of rose water per bottle). If you want an upgrade, I also recommend Nielsen-Massey’s Rose Water. Just note that it significantly more expensive than Cortas!

I still can’t find rose water. What can I substitute it with?

You can  substitute out the rose water with more commonly available pure vanilla extract. However, note that your spring flower sugar cookies will no longer taste like rose. They will mostly taste like vanilla!

Can you make rose water at home?

Technically yes, but I haven’t ever tried it myself. As a result, I don’t recommend doing so for this recipe!

But that being said, here’s what you need to make rose water at home: 1 cup organic rose petals (This is important! You don’t want fertilizers and pesticides in your food, right?) and distilled water.

Submerge the rose petals in just enough distilled water to cover them. Simmer on low with the lid on until the petals have lost their color, 15 to 30 minutes. Then turn the heat off, leave the lid on, and let cool completely. Once the mixture has cooled, strain through a fine mesh sieve. Et voilà! Homemade rose water.

close up of spring flower sugar cookies

Best Spring Flower Sugar Cookie Tips

Best Ingredient Tips

  • Although Craftsman and Woves uses dried flowers for their cookies, I used a mix of both dried (cornflowers and rose petals) and fresh flowers (everything else) for mine. Specifically, I used a mix of cornflowers, calendula flowers, and radish flowers, as well as rose and lilac petals. Dried flower petals are available at herb and spice stores. Kalustyan’s has a great selection online (but it helps to know what you’re looking for since their browsing experience isn’t the best). I sourced the fresh flowers from our garden and the Portland Farmers’ Market.

  • For this recipe, be sure to use rose water and NOT rose extract. Rose extract is much more concentrated, and will be too intense and floral in this recipe. In a pinch, you can use rose extract, but I suggest halving the recipe quantities if you do. Rose water is available in Middle Eastern grocery stores and specialty food markets.

Best Equipment Tip

  • To stamp out the cookies, I used cutters from this fluted circle set—I used a 3-inch cutter for the big circles and a ¾-inch cutter for the small circles.

More Rose Water Recipes

Get the Recipe: Spring Flower Sugar Cookie Recipe

These spring flower sugar cookies are made with a rose water sugar cookie base, and topped with rose water glaze and edible flowers!
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Ingredients

For the Rose Water Sugar Cookies

  • 3 ⅓ cups (15 ounces or 425 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 cup (7 ounces or 198 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons rose water (see baker's notes)

For the Rose Water Glaze

  • 1 cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted if lumpy
  • a pinch of kosher salt
  • 2 Tablespoons heavy cream, plus more if needed
  • 1 teaspoon rose water (see baker's notes)

Assembly

  • edible flowers (see baker's notes)

Instructions
 

For the Rose Water Sugar Cookies

  • Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg and rose water. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low, add the egg and rose water, and beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
  • Add the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Increase the mixer to medium-low and beat until the dough clumps around the paddle and/or sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Roll out the dough. Tip the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper around the size of a sheet pan and use your hands to shape it into a roughly 6-inch square. Place a second sheet of parchment over the dough, creating a parchment sandwich with the dough in the middle. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough between the parchment sheets, working from left to right. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat every so often—doing so will help prevent the dough from cracking as you roll it. If the parchment starts to wrinkle and leave creases in the cookie dough, pull the sheet loose and smooth it before rolling the dough more. Continue rotating and rolling until you have a rough oval about 13 inches wide, 18 inches long, and between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick.
  • Chill the dough. Transfer the slab of cookie dough, still in between the parchment, to a sheet pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm the dough.
  • Cut out the cookies. Once the dough is firm, remove from the refrigerator. Peel the top layer of parchment paper from the cookie dough slab and use the parchment to line a sheet pan. Line a second sheet pan with parchment as well. Use a 3-inch fluted cookie cutter to cut out shapes, and a smaller 1-inch fluted cookie cutter cut out a second circle with each cookie. Gather any cookie dough scraps, re-roll between two parchment paper sheets (with the instructions in step 4), and use the cookie cutters to stamp out shapes as many times as necessary to use all the dough. Place the cookies at least 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared sheet pans.
  • Freeze the cookies while preheating the oven. Freeze each sheet pan for 10 to 15 minutes to firm the cookies. While the sheet pans are in the freezer, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
  • Bake the cookies. Bake one pan at a time (keeping the pan in the refrigerator) for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges. Cool the cookies on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies are set and feel firm to the touch. Repeat to bake the remaining cookies. Cool completely before glazing.

For the Rose Water Glaze and Assembly

  • Make the rose water glaze. In a medium bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and salt and whisk to combine. Slowly pour in heavy cream and rose water, using a rubber spatula to stir the liquids into the sugar to make a glaze. The glaze should be thick like a paste, but thin enough so that the cookies don't break or snap when dipped into the glaze. Add more cream as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
  • Decorate the cookies. Working quickly, dip the top of a cookie into the glaze and set on a wire rack. Immediately sprinkle with edible flowers. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Allow the glazed cookies to dry on the wire rack, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours. 
  • Serve and store. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • Although Craftsman and Woves uses dried flowers for their cookies, I used a mix of both dried (cornflowers and rose petals) and fresh flowers (everything else) for mine. Specifically, I used a mix of cornflowers, calendula flowers, and radish flowers, as well as rose and lilac petals. Dried flower petals are available at herb and spice stores. Kalustyan’s has a great selection online (but it helps to know what you’re looking for since their browsing experience isn’t the best). I sourced the fresh flowers from our garden and the Portland Farmers’ Market.
  • For this recipe, be sure to use rose water and NOT rose extract. Rose extract is much more concentrated, and will be too intense and floral in this recipe. In a pinch, you can use rose extract, but I suggest halving the recipe quantities if you do. Rose water is available in Middle Eastern grocery stores and specialty food markets.
  • To stamp out the cookies, I used cutters from this fluted circle set—I used a 3-inch cutter for the big circles and a ¾-inch cutter for the small circles.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Michelle holding Weeknight Baking cookbook covering her face.

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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule

Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.

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