Strawberry Rose Shortbread Hearts
This recipe was one of those born out of a happy accident. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a few weeks ago in my stories that I collaborated with some other very talented women on an editorial rosé-themed shoot. It was SO. MUCH. FUN. I didn’t realize how much I needed it, either. Even though I’m over here creating content almost constantly for the blog (and I love it), creating something purely for the sake of fun, beauty, and to express my creativity was a completely different feeling. Like flexing a different muscle. And the best part was being able to collaborate alongside other creatives and be inspired by them and their craft. Allison of West Coast Aesthetic and Jenna Bechtholt organized the shoot, Allison provided art direction and styling and Jenna was the photographer. Jamie and Hollie of Confete Party Box provided the tabletop and the most amazing balloon garland installation, Heidi of The Rogue Essentials was the model, Verde Seattle provided the gorgeous florals, and I provided the desserts and did the food styling. These little cookies, or a version of them, were one of the things I made. I loved the way they turned out so I decided they’d be a great recipe to share with you all for Valentine’s Day!
They are a simple shortbread cookie with a touch of rosewater and some freeze-dried strawberries marbled throughout the dough, which adds so much flavor. Strawberry and rose are such a lovely combination, too. They’re then dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with some rose petals, more strawberry, and of course a little flaky salt. They are very simple but so pretty and special enough to make and share with all the Valentine’s in your life. I hope you give them a try and please let me know if you do!
Strawberry Rose Shortbread Hearts
makes about 15 3-inch cookies
shortbread
1 c unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 t rosewater
2 c all purpose flour
1/2 t Himalayan pink salt
1/4 c freeze-dried strawberries, finely chopped (found mine at Trader Joe’s)
topping
6 oz dark chocolate (I used 74% dark), roughly chopped
2 T culinary-grade dried rose petals
1/4 c freeze-dried strawberries, finely chopped
flaky salt, such as Jacobsen’s
make the dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in the rosewater and beat to incorporate. Turn the mixer on low and add in the flour and salt and mix just until combined. Add in the strawberries and mix to incorporate. Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disk and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until firm.
shape + bake the cookies
Preheat oven to 350 F. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll dough out into 1/4 inch thickness. Working quickly to avoid the dough getting too warm, cut out hearts and place about 1 inch apart on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling as necessary. Try to punch the hearts out as close together as possible, to avoid having to re-roll the scraps too many times. The more you roll the dough out, the tougher the cookies will be. Place cookie sheets in the freezer for about 20 minutes, until firm. This will ensure the cookies have nice, sharp and defined edges when baked. Bake one cookie sheet at a time, leaving the other in the freezer. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until edges are light golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
decorate
Create a double-boiler by filling a small saucepan with a few inches of water. Place on the stove over medium heat and place a bowl larger than the saucepan over the top, so that it rests on top of the pan but the bottom of the bowl does not make contact with the water. Add in the chocolate and allow to melt, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, have all your toppings ready in small bowls for topping. When the chocolate has melted, remove from heat and dip each cookie about halfway in the chocolate then sprinkle with a little of each of the toppings. Place on parchment or wax paper to set. Repeat with remaining cookies. Allow chocolate to set before packing up or serving.
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