Rosette Cookies

Light and crispy, these Rosette Cookies are the perfect holiday cookies. They taste like a crisp funnel cake! Made with basic pantry staple ingredients, they’re beautiful dusted with powdered sugar for the perfect finish.

These Christmas cookies are an Old World recipe that look like little snowflakes. I love to make them with my family and we can create all different patterns with different irons.

Even though it’s a fried cookie, they are incredibly light! Almost too easy to eat in one sitting, you’ll love these Rosette cookies paired with a cozy meal like Shrimp Stuffed Salmon or Pot Roast.

The Best Christmas Cookies

For Christmas this year my decided to make this old world favorite – rosette cookies. It had been ages since we made these, but I love how unique they are compared to our typical holiday cookies – almost like individual funnel cakes. And who doesn’t like a light funnel cake?! You’ll love these because:

• Minimal ingredients needed – just sugar, eggs, flour, milk, and oil.
• Easy – Once you get the hang of it, they’re very easy and go quickly.
• Family fun – They’re a fun project to do with family or kids for the holidays.
• Tiny, crispy funnel cakes – You can top them with powdered sugar, fruit, melted chocolate or whatever you like!

Ingredients

Just a few simple pantry ingredients can make these beautiful holiday cookies!

• All Purpose Flour – Any all purpose flour will work for this recipe. I have used Gold Medal and Bob’s Red Mill Organic. The flour must be sifted!
• Sugar – Just two teaspoons of white sugar is added making this a very low sugar cookie recipe!
• Milk – This is essential for the batter but you could use whole milk or substitute your favorite plant based milk to make these dairy free.
• Eggs – Two large eggs, slightly beaten, are needed. I like to use soy-free eggs.
• Vegetable or Canola Oil – You want a very light flavored oil that’s good at high heat for this recipe.
• Vanilla Extract – This is optional but I think it adds a lovely flavor.

Rosette Cookie Irons

For this recipe, you need both rosette cookie irons and a good candy or frying thermometer. A deep, heavy bottomed pot, like a dutch oven, is also really helpful to keep the oil for splattering too much.

Cookie irons come in so many different shapes and sizes, making them perfect for any holiday.

• Rosette Cookie Iron 
• Heart Iron
• A Snowflake (very Frozen inspired for the kiddos)
• A Star

Equipment

The last essentials you’ll need to make these rosette cookies:

• A Candy/Deep Fryer Thermometer
• Flour sifter

Frying Tips

While the ingredients for this recipe are very simple, the technique is what gets tricky when it comes to these cookies. If you’re a little out of practice, it takes one or two to get the hang of frying these cookies. Here are some troubleshooting tips so you can learn from our mistakes. The two most important factors for making rosettes are getting the oil to the right temperature and avoiding batter on top of the iron molds.

• Avoid getting the batter on top of the rosette iron. If this does happen, you can fry as usual and then gently remove with a knife to release it, but it’s easy to not have this happen in the first place.
• You must use a thermometer to get the oil to be the right temperature of 375 degrees F. If the oil is too hot or too cold, the batter will not adhere properly to the rosette iron.
• Keep a plate with a paper towel next to your fryer so once the iron is heated in the oil, you can “blot” the excess oil before dipping into your batter. This will help the batter adhere better. 
• If your rosettes are not crispy, you may need to thin out the batter with a little milk. But first check your temperature as that is typically the issue. You also may need to extend the frying time. 
• Sifting the flour is important to prevent clumping.
• Maintaining the proper temperature is important also for dipping the hot iron into the batter. If it is too hot, you will cook your batter! (see picture below)
• If your rosette gets stuck to the iron, just use a table knife to gently loosen it. It should drop right off. If it does not, fry a little bit longer.
• Rosettes must be completely submerged in the oil or else they will fall off the iron. 

How to Store

Despite being fried, these actually store quite well. Start by allowing them to cool, open side down, on a paper towel or a cookie rack.

From there, dust with powdered sugar and eat right away, or use a few different storage methods.

Layer the cookies, using parchment or wax paper between them, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on a baking sheet at 300 degrees F for 2 minutes and then allow to cool to get crispy again.

Freezing and Reheating

To freeze rosette cookies use the same layering method, but store in a freezer container or bag (just be careful laying anything on top of them so they don’t get broken or smashed). No need to defrost them. Reheat on a baking sheet at 300 degrees F for 3-5 minutes until nice and crispy.

It’s important you watch these carefully as they reheat in the oven. It’s really easy to defrost them. If you do plan to store them and reheat, I recommend not dusting them with powdered sugar until they’re ready to serve.

Recipe FAQ

This recipe was originally published January 18, 2021 and was updated November 12, 2021 to include new recipe tips, photos, and step by step directions.