I adapted this from a recipe that my sister gave me, which called for the finished cookies to be dunked in melted chocolate but I felt that was a bit like gilding the lily.

With or without a coating of chocolate, these rich, buttery cookies are simply delightful, perhaps with a nice cup of tea.

Rose & Lemon Shortbread Cookies

ROSE & LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

(Makes  approx 15 cookies)

Ingredients:

7oz (200g) of butter at room temperature

3.5 oz (100g) of sugar

The finely shredded zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons of rose syrup or rose water to taste

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

11 oz (300g) of plain all-purpose flour

A pinch of salt

2 heaped tablespoons of dried edible rose petals

Action:

Start by beating the butter, sugar, rose syrup (or if you’re using rosewater, add a little at a time and check it for taste), lemon zest and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Carefully fold in the flour and rose petals, mixing together until you have a dough. Scrape the dough onto a flat surface and scoop into a ball then roll it out to about 9 inches (25cm) square or round. Transfer to a baking tray and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 340F (170C)

Line a baking tray with parchment and cut the chilled dough with your favorite cookie cutter or into small rectangles. Prick the cookies with a fork and transfer them to the parchment lined baking tray.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Cool completely then dust the cookies with powdered sugar. They’ll keep for a week in an airtight container but I doubt you’ll have them that long, they’re that good.