When there are kids in the house, there is always an reason to be baking something......holidays, birthdays, bake sales....So, I like to keep it interesting by using appropriate herbs for each occasion. Yesterday, my grandson and I made Valentine cookies using a basic sugar cookie dough. To make it more meaningful, I used two herbs. For the cookies to be given to family and friends, we put a bit of ground Rosemary in the dough....Rosemary for Remembrance. When making cupcakes in the past, I put the rosemary in the icing instead. For cookies made for those you "LOVE", I added some rosewater to the dough AND the icing.

Rose petals are great in baking---if they are FRESH and organic. However, once dried, they retain their scent, but become too leathery in texture to add to foods (I use those in facials/potpourris/sachets/soaps/teas instead). Rose water is divine--and natural and adds a whole new dimension to many types of foods---like a cup of cold milk!! So, my rose petal flans and cakes and salads are a fixture of summer cooking.  But,if you are fortunate enough to have some rose scented geraniums overwintering on your window sill, then, by all means, use those--fresh and chopped.