Eggless Rose Shortbread Cookies

Rose shortbread cookies are so easy to throw together that you need just 1 bowl, 6, regular ingredients, and no special equipment. The dough is a 10-minute job. Plus, these are eggless rose cookies, which are perfect if you’re looking for festive cookie ideas!

These shortbread cookies with rose water are an adaptation of one of my most popular recipes: eggless rose pistachio cookies. Very reminiscent of festive flavors, the rose water and cardamom make the tender cookies sing. So, if you’ve been looking for Diwali cookie recipes, these rose biscuits should definitely be in your repertoire.

Why You'll Love These Cookies

No better match for your tea

Subtle, interesting flavors and just 6 ingredients

Elegant, incredibly delicious, and, most importantly, great for gifting in jars or boxes

Simple, rewarding, and doable even on a busy day

Store well for 2 to 3 weeks and perfect for holidays

How To Make Rose Shortbread Cookies

After almost two decades of baking, what I’ve come to love most is cooking simply. Give me a recipe with a handful of ingredients that are right there in my pantry, and I’m a goner.

That’s why I couldn't resist the delicate, buttery charm of these rose-flavored cookies. The recipe is easy and simple and makes shortbread cookies exactly how they should be.

Step 1: Cream together softened, room-temperature butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Since these are rosewater cookies, whisk in a hefty dose of it, followed by flour, cardamom powder, and dried rose petals.

Step 3: Use a spatula or your hands to make a silky soft and pliable dough (it comes together quickly).

Step 4: Halve the dough and then roll each half into a log, mine were about ten-inch long and more squarish than round. But the shape really doesn’t matter. What it does is that it’s the quicker and simpler way of making these cookies compared to using a cookie cutter.

Step 5: Slide the logs onto your baking sheet and stash them in the fridge for 30 minutes. By the way, you can freeze the dough of these rose cookies for up to 3 weeks, as long as you double-wrap them.

Step 6: With a sharp knife, slice the dough into 1/8 -inch thick slices and place them spaced apart on the tray.

Final step: Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. And when the countdown is about to end, watch your rose shortbread cookies closely. I’ve had batches a little too toasty for my taste before because I left them unattended at the last moment.

Top Tips

• The key to these shortbread cookies with icing sugar is the temperature of the butter. It can’t be melted. It can’t be frozen. It can’t be cold. It has to be room temperature and just about soft. That’s the secret to achieving a wonderful, flaky texture.
• Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of rosewater in the shortbread dough. 
• If your dough feels dry or keeps falling apart, add a tablespoon or two of room-temperature cream (or milk) to it. 
• Want buttery, crumbly rose shortbread? Refrigerate the dough before baking.
• If this is one of your make-ahead holiday cookie ideas and you’ve frozen the shortbread cookie dough, don’t thaw it. Please give it a couple of minutes on the countertop, so it’s not rock hard, slice and then bake for a little longer than 14 minutes. 
• Bake the sliced rose cookies immediately, or plop them back in the fridge until you are ready to bake. 
• Add a minute or two extra oven time if you like a slightly crisper and browner shortbread cookie.

Recipe Variations

Rose: Dried rose petals are easily available in supermarkets and online. For the rose water, ensure you get food-grade and good-quality. The better the quality, the subtler the taste of the aromatic. Remember, you want rose-flavored cookies, not drowning in rose cookies.

Add-ons: Saffron would be a fantastic addition to these rose shortbread cookies. You can also add finely chopped nuts like walnuts, almonds, pistachios ( as I did in my pistachio rose cookies) or even cranberries, like in my cranberry almond shortbread cookies.

Recipe