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Roses are an edible flower, perfect for confecting Valentine’s Day treats. These rose petal gummies are beautiful and healthier than candy alternatives.
Valentine’s Day is coming soon.
Whether or not you have a Valentine, it can be fun to get into the spirit of the holiday. It’s the time of year to decorate with hearts and roses…
So, why not cook with them?
Some food bloggers love to post about organ meats. I get it- they’re healthy! Maybe some have chosen to post about hearts for Valentine’s Day.
I, on the other hand, prefer roses.
I suppose cooking with either of them isn’t very mainstream, but I like to keep an open mind and be adventurous.
Are roses edible?
If you have never tasted roses, it is about time you did. They make a beautiful addition to salads and can be cooked up into many marvelous, romantic desserts. (Of course, you can also adorn your Valentine’s Day salad with bacon roses instead!)
The famous Turkish delight gets its subtle perfume-like flavor from the addition of rose water.
I have made homemade rose water using several methods, and will share how to make it soon. Meanwhile, though, I will show you how I made my rose petal gummies which are a bit healthier than Turkish delight. They’re perfect for a Valentine’s Day sweet treat.
Choosing Edible Roses
When choosing your roses for culinary purposes, it is important to search for roses that haven’t been chemically treated. Ideally, you could plant your own organic roses, but if you don’t have any available, you can also purchase organic dried rose petals inexpensively.
Theoretically, all roses are edible, but the best for cooking are the perfumed varieties that smell the best; they pretty much taste as they smell.
You can also use rose water to potentiate the rose flavor (or instead of using rose petals). Rose water makes a very delicate tasting rose gummy. If used alone, the final gummies would be lighter in color. (Commercially-sold rose water is normally colorless. The gummies would take on the color of the other ingredients used.)
Making a Rose Petal Tea
While my homemade rose water is wonderful for homemade cosmetics, it isn’t as flavorful as the store-bought variety. So, I decided to make a rose petal infusion (aka. tea) instead. When using dried rose petals, making a rose petal tea is the easiest way to obtain a rose-flavored liquid perfect for confectioning these rose sweets.
I later tried adding store-bought rose water to enhance the flavor further. Both ways were delicious.
These rose petal gummies remind me of amber cameo jewelry.
Rose petal tea is an amber-colored liquid, which will make gummy treats like the ones shown in my photos. I think they are reminiscent of amber cameo jewelry.
Brewing instructions
I found that the best way of obtaining a sweet, perfumed tea without a bitter flavor was to allow the petals to steep in hot water for a long time.
First, bring the water to the boiling point. Then, remove it from the heat source. Allow the dried rose petals to infuse their flavor into the water as it cooled. The longer you leave it, the stronger the tea will be.
I wanted a strong flavor and used around 3 tablespoons of dried rose petals to 2 cups of water.
Watch me make these gummy treats!
Making the Gummies
Once you have your tea made, these rose sweets are quite simple to make.
To make the gummies, we’ll be dissolving gelatin into the tea mixture. To do so, reheat the tea if it has cooled. I use around 2 Tablespoons for 1.5 cups of tea.
If you choose to use or add rose water, keep in mind that it’s quite flavorful. You only need to add a small amount (2-3 Tablespoons) to regular water or tea. I’d suggest using just under 1.5 cups of water or tea before adding in the rose water.
Sweetening the gummies
By now, I have made these with several different sweeteners. I love using orange blossom honey as its delicate flavor combines well with the rose flavor. That said, you can also use regular sugar or maple syrup instead.
To lower the carb content of these gummies, you can also use liquid stevia and/or erythritol. I made some this week using a combination of the 2 sweeteners and they were delicious!
Keep in mind that these gummies will need more sweetener than homemade gummies made with fruit.
Should you add in Rose Petals?
I first made some gummies without any added rose petals. They are, of course, free of any unusual textures that way, but they aren’t as pretty.
Rose petals in the gummies are beautiful, but they add a texture to the rose sweets that some people might not appreciate. I didn’t mind it, but this is all a matter of preference.
Getting the rose petals to show up in the right place
That said, to get your rose petals into the gummies right where you want them, you have to be a little bit tricky. You see, the rose petals float to the top of your mold, which ends up being the bottom part of your gummies!
To embed them within the gelatin, giving them a look reminiscent of rose petals trapped in amber (like the amber cameo jewelry I mentioned above), first pour a very thin layer of gelatin. Sprinkle some rose petals over your gelatin layer, and push them into it with a toothpick.
Before pouring the rest of the gelatin over the rose petals, you want the first layer to set. To speed up the process, I placed mine in the freezer for a few minutes. I was afraid it might not be enough, and that pouring on the next layer might free up the rose petals, but luckily they stayed in place.
Pour in the rest of the rose petal gelatin and quickly place them into the fridge to set up.
Pretty, aren’t they?
Rose Petal Gummy Treats Recipe
Rose Petal Gummies with Honey (For your Honey)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Make a strong rose petal tea by steeping the rose petals in water that was boiling. Allow to steep until the water has cooled. (If you are in a hurry, you can steep it for a few minutes and use it immediately, but a long steeping time gives a stronger flavored tea.)
- To more easily incorporate your gelatin, allow it to hydrate by soaking it with 1/8-1/4 cup of the cooled tea mixture.
- Heat the rest of the rose petal tea in a pot over the stove, and as it gets warm, slowly and thoroughly stir in the gelatin and honey. Taste the mixture to see if you need to add more honey. Keep in mind that you don’t have the sweetness of fruit, so you will need to add more honey than you usually use for homemade fruit gummies.
- Pour your mixture into silicone molds. If you set the molds on a plate or tray first, it is easier to move them without spilling. (When I forget, I let the gummies mostly solidify as they cool before moving them into the fridge.)
- Add some rose petals, if you like. (See notes below for tips on getting them where you want them)
- Move to the fridge for about an hour to let the gelatin set.
- Pop your gummies out.
- Serve over candlelight, or package to send to your valentine. 🙂
Notes
The end result…
aka. What did my husband have to say about these rose sweets?
“You made what?!?!?!” (I’m used to these sorts of looks/questions).
He hesitantly gave it a try- one without the rose petals, though…
“It doesn’t taste bad… maybe a little like flowers at the end.”
I’ll have to consider that a victory, taking the source into account, of course. My husband really only appreciates desserts and sweets with chocolate in them, his favorite being my easy, 2-ingredient chocolate mousse.
I really like them, though, and think that they could be packaged into a beautiful valentine for somebody special.
Update Information
This post was originally published on January 31, 2014. It was rewritten in January of 2020, adding video and some new photos and tips.
Agua de Valencia Recipe
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Sarah
Hey – these look delicious! I was just wondering was the texture more like Jell-O or like gummy candies you buy in the package?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Sarah,
It’s sort of in-between, but closer to the gummy candies. The more gelatin you add, the more they are like gummy candies. They have more resistance when you bite into them.
So, you can really play with the texture by adjusting that.
karen warner
I make Honeysuckle jelly from the flowers and I would like to know what you think about using Honeysuckle tea for this recipe. Should I use all the same measurements of all your ingredients?
Tracy Ariza
Hi Karen,
That sounds wonderful!
Yes, I’d use the same proportions of tea and gelatin to get the right consistency. You can change out any tea or other liquid to get a similar texture. The sweetener you can keep the same, or adjust the amount to suit your preference in sweetness! (That goes for using the rose petal tea too, though.) 😉
I’d love to hear how it goes!
joannabanana21
i didn’t know you could eat rose petals. this is such a lovely idea for v-day! i don’t have a boyfriend but think my mom would love these!
Tracy Ariza
I think women would probably appreciate them more anyway.
My husband thinks I’m weird for even wanting to make them. I really liked them, though, and finished them pretty quickly. 🙂
Courtney @ Revived Kitchen
I LOVE this idea! How beautiful!!