Rose cookies: bake a batch of these for the one you love (or yourself)

Today is the day to celebrate all things pink and sweet. And what a dreamy Valentine’s Day cookie combination we’ve found for you: white chocolate, strawberries and crystallized rose petals…

1 Put the butter in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until very soft. Beat in the sugars until well incorporated and creamy, then add the vanilla extract, rose extract or rose water, cream and egg, and beat in. Gradually sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined. Finally, mix in the white chocolate chips, rose petals and freeze-dried strawberries, if using. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2 Preheat the oven to 170˚C (325˚F) Gas 3. Remove the bowl from the fridge. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll the chilled dough out into a sausage roughly 30cm long. Cut the dough into about 25 equal slices and arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15–20 minutes until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

This recipe was taken from the stunning new book Le Cookie by Mickael Benichou, out today (£9.99, published by Ryland Peters & Small and available from www.rylandpeters.com). Packed with inspirational baking recipes for everything from cupcakes and macaroons to whoopies and brownies