A day of guilty pleasures!

the stars of the show!

Today was, how can I say....amazing! I'm not ashamed to say that I have quite a few guilty pleasures. Although, I think that after maybe 2 or 3, it's stops being 'guilty pleasures' and is just plain gluttony. I've come to terms with it. So my day of pure bliss included catching up on The Bachelor UK (don't judge, you know you want to watch it!), scrolled through some property websites only looking at the most expensive houses (a girl can dream!), cleaning out my closet, and in between all that....shortbread!



I always make sure to stop and smell the roses. It's important to always appreciate the little things, ya know?? Except today was literally about smelling the roses. And man did I sniff those babies! I was trying to find the perfect rose to use in my Rose Water and Sugar Shortbread. I was doing a little research about using roses in cooking and turns out that the lighter in colour the flower the more sweet and fruity the flavour. The darker the petals are the stronger in flavour and scent the flower is. So, I opted for one of my favourite rose colours to have (hint, hint Handsome Hunter!!)...it's a peachy pink rose, fading from a light peach at the base up to the tips of the rose which look like they've been dipped in a beautiful pale pink paint. They are lovely in a vase and equally lovely in a cookie. A good tip, even with just arranging flowers, is to always peel the outermost layers off. They tend to get damaged and bruised and taking off 2 or 3 of the outer petals will make the flower look super fresh. The same applies for using flowers in food.

I realise the front, main petal has a big whopping bruise on it. Don't be like me, throw that one out!

I took about a dozen petals, rolled them up tight like a little floral cigar and used kitchen scissors to snip them into beautiful little confetti. Rose confetti....ahhh....beautiful. With a splash of rosewater added in, I worked the dough until it was all combined and then refrigerated for about an hour to let everything set. Once baked and fresh out of the oven, I smothered the little gems in sugar. The flavour is so delicate and light. You know that it's there but it still let's the butter in the shortbread have all the glory. Try using rose petals next time you make a salad or if you're in the mood for something more exotic and Moroccan, throw them into a lamb tagine. I think you'll be surprised just how much it adds to a dish. Plus, it's super classy. And that's the mother-effin' truth. :)