I thought it would be nice to make a holiday cookie that captures the distinct flavor of rose. Rose, usually in the form of rose water, is often found in Indian and Middle Eastern desserts, but it’s not commonly used in Western treats. For this dessert I used rose paste, because it adds a pleasing pink color to the cookies. I also added some rose to the cream filling as well.
I love making desserts like this for the holiday season because you can prepare several logs ahead of time and store them in the freezer for later use. That allows me to spend more time with visiting friends and family instead of being stuck in the kitchen.
1. Info for Rose Cookies
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 50
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Rose Cookies
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons shortening
- 1-3/4 cups heavy cream
- 1-1/2 cups white baking chocolate (8 ounces), finely chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon imitation brandy extract
- 1 teaspoon rose paste
3. Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the egg and egg yolk with 1/2 cup of sugar for about 5-6 minutes. You’ll get a pale, yellow foam and the texture of the eggs will be thicker. Add vanilla and almond extracts.
- In a bowl, combine the flours, salt and baking soda. Sift all the dry ingredients.
- Cream the butter with 1/2 cup of sugar (whisk using a stand-mixer to get as much air as possible in the butter). Add the egg mixture, the dry ingredients and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream. Finish with shortening. Mix well. Divide the dough and roll into 3 (1-¼-inch diameter) logs. For each log, cut 1/4 of quantity of it, add 1/4 teaspoon of rose paste and form a cylinder . With the rest of the dough from the log, create a rectangle of cookie dough. The rectangle and cylinder should be the same length. Wrap the cylinder in the rectangle. Repeat with the 2 other logs. Chill them in the freezer until firm. It will take at least 30 minutes to harden (see storing tips).
- Heat the rest of the heavy cream in a saucepan. Bring it to a near boil. Turn off the heat immediately and quickly add the finely chopped white chocolate. Stir until everything is melted. Add 1/4 teaspoon of rose paste and brandy extract. Let the mixture cool completely. Once cooled, whip the cream (at a low speed) until creamy and smooth for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Slice the logs into ¼-inch thick disks. Place the cookies on a baking sheet previously lined with parchment paper. Make sure they are spaced out so they don’t touch each other when they expand while baking.
- Bake for about 5 minutes at 375°F, then lower the heat to 350°F for another 6-8 minutes. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks. Allow to cool completely.
- Pipe about 2 teaspoons of rose ganache onto the flat side of half the cookies. Place another cookie on top and gently press to make the filling visible. Repeat until all the cookies are used.
- Bon appétit!
