History
Exaudi Sunday was once known as the Sunday of the Rose. After the fifteenth century the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord received its own octave—or a full eight-day celebration—and Exaudi lost this title with greater emphasis being placed on its position between Ascension and Pentecost. Exaudi Sunday was consumed with expectation for the coming Comforter, as we discuss in greater detail in this post about the day, and any previous delineation as “Rose” Sunday was diminished.
However while Exaudi lost this previous nickname, the use of roses to celebrate this Sunday continued forward and even took up a renewed theological meaning. One way Christians commemorated this day in the past was tossing roses down from the tops of cathedrals to call to mind the Holy Spirit’s descent on the upcoming Pentecost. This symbolic gesture took place on Exaudi immediately following the sermon within the service, thus continuing the idea of the Sunday of the Rose.
Candied Rose Sugar Cookies
These are the same sugar cookies that we have used for the commemoration of St. Mary; however, this time they have a different floral twist. Fitting for Rose Sunday, this recipe puts roses to use in the form of a decorative sugar cookie, but other options for commemoration could include rose jam or (for a non-food activity) pressing your own roses to preserve them.
If you do select this rose sugar cookie, we want to first provide a few cautions about food safety. First, only select roses to eat that you are certain have not been treated with harmful chemicals. This could be a store-bought organic rose or perhaps one from your own yard if you live in a warmer climate and are seeing your first blooms of roses as we approach warmer springtime weather.
Second, be aware that candied rose petals are made of uncooked egg whites and sugar. For this reason, use your own discretion when it comes to selecting your eggs and consuming raw egg, especially if you feel the need to be extra cautious about foodborne illness.
Food cautions aside, we also wanted to include a few of our tips when it comes to making the perfect sugar cookie:
- To get evenly round cookies, chill the dough before rolling it out onto a floured surface. Once you cut out the cookies, use a bread scraper or a thin metal spatula to transfer them from your workspace to the cookie sheet.
- Perfectly bake these cookies by removing them after they “puff” ever so slightly and develop a crust-looking appearance but aren’t yet brown.
- Once you pull them out of the oven, do not touch the cookies until they have cooled for 3-5 minutes. This will ensure that they hold their shape.
Ingredients
Candied Rose Petals
Rose petals from one large organic rose
1 egg white
¼ cup granulated sugar
Sugar Cookies
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ¾ cup unbleached white flour
Icing
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Begin by making the candied rose petals. To do this, froth the egg white with a fork and gently dip each rose petal into the egg white. Then dip the petal into the granulated sugar and coat both sides. Place them gently on a cooling rack in a cool place for 3-4 hours to harden. While you let them rest, you can make the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Then add the egg, ½ tsp of vanilla, and baking powder. Mix until incorporated.
- Next, add ½ C of flour and continue beating. Add in the rest of the flour ¼ C at a time until a dough forms. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and let chill in the fridge or freeze for 5-10 minutes.
- Flour your working surface and, once chilled, roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness and cut out the cookies. Carefully transfer the cookies onto a greased baking sheet, using a dough scraper if available.
- Bake at 400°F for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove them before the edges brown and LET COOL. The cookies will hold their shape once cooled but are especially fragile right out of the oven.
- While cooling, make the frosting by combining the confectioner’s sugar and milk.
- Once the cookies are cool enough to hold their shape, frost each by using a spoon to spread the frosting in a circular motion until it nearly reaches the edge.
- Before the frosting solidifies, garnish with the candied rose petals. Eat and enjoy!
Exaudi Candied Rose Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Candied Rose Petals
- Rose petals from one large rose
- 1 egg white beaten
- ¼ C granulated sugar
Sugar Cookies
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 C granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ¾ C unbleached white flour
Icing
- 1 C confectioner's sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Begin by making the candied rose petals. To do this, froth the egg white with a fork and gently dip each rose petal into the egg white. Then dip the petal into the granulated sugar and coat both sides. Place them gently a cooling rack in a cool place for 3-4 hours to harden. While you let them rest, you can make the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Then add the egg, ½ tsp of vanilla, and baking powder. Mix until incorporated.
- Next, add ½ C of flour and continue beating. Add in the rest of the flour ¼ C at a time until a dough forms. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and let chill in the fridge or freeze for 5-10 minutes.
- Flour your working surface and, once chilled, roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness and cut out the cookies. Carefully transfer the cookies onto a greased baking sheet, using a dough scraper if available.
- Bake at 400°F for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove them before the edges brown and LET COOL. The cookies will hold their shape once cooled but are especially fragile right out of the oven.
- While cooling, make the frosting by combining the confectioner's sugar and milk.
- Once the cookies are cool enough to hold their shape, frost each by using a spoon to spread the frosting in a circular motion until it nearly reaches the edge.
- Before the frosting solidifies, garnish with the candied rose petals. Eat and enjoy!
Margaret pariseau says
The cookies sound so amazing.
I will give this cookie recipe a try.