Need a special unexpected dessert with no effort? Rose-flavored Panna Cotta with edible flowers is both beautiful and unique. It’s a perfect no bake spring and summer dessert. It’s also a gluten-free dessert kids can make to celebrate Mother’s Day! It tastes like roses smell!
With the warm weather arriving in full force, lighter, fun desserts are a great way to greet the season. As always I love an EASY dessert that feels luxurious; something to make a meal or event special. Panna Cotta has to be one of the easiest dessrts to make. Panna cotta is a rich, luscious custard that takes about 10 minutes to construct and chills for 3 hours to set. I have a fun twist to share today: Rose-flavored Panna Cotta with edible flowers!
Many people are not familiar with Rose Extract. Different than rose water, which is water infused with rose essence, rose extract is a concentrated flavor of rose and may be used similarly to vanilla or other flavored extracts. A note of caution before filling your baked goods with rose extract, a little goes a long way. I recommend using a few drops and tasting to ensure an enjoyable flavor. Baking will lighten the flavor a bit too so take that into consideration.
Mother’s Day is a week away. Being a mom, and feeling it has been my most significant life’s privilege, it nears ‘sacred’ as holidays go for me. We change up our routine annually depending on my mood. I usually like to keep the day open to be spontaneous which seems novel in our highly scheduled lives.
A favorite Mother’s Day for me was one year when we had not made any extra special plans. My son, who was then nine years old at the time, had Googled ‘gluten-free recipes kids can make themselves’ (I of course learned this all after the fact). I had been sent upstairs and could not ignore the eventual wafting of deep chocolate aromas to the upper levels of our house. He had found a chocolate truffle cookie recipe that he made with some help from my husband.
My daughter had pulled out her American Girl mini food cookbook and made me a few diminutive treats as well. One I mistakenly took as a jello shot before realizing it was a supposed to look like a watermelon slice using jello and citrus rind. Shows where my mind was…..
Kids feel great about themselves when they are responsible for a gift to adults, even if there is a bit of adult supervision and support; the gift is still from their own inspiration and hand. This recipe for rose-flavored panna cotta is easy for kids (to make solo for older children and with some stove top help for wee folk) and adults alike. It is unique, unexpected and pretty to behold.
The other thing I love is repurposing, or using something predictable in a completely unexpected way for gifts. Typically when served in restaurants, panna cotta is freed from its mold when served. That seemed tricky for kids to do (and possibly adults too!). For this rose-flavored panna cotta recipe, I used ornate glasses and food-safe candle holders (I’ve also used tea cups) to create a keepsake gift as well.
Edible flowers may seem exotic but they are available at most grocery stores with herbs in the produce section. They are grown specifically for consumption so there should be no worries about their safety. I personally grow pots of flowers that look to be for show but all of them are edible. They are great to throw into salads or for a whimsical touch to desserts such as this panna cotta. NOTE: Never eat flowers, even of edible varieties, unless sure they have not been sprayed or treated in other ways making them potentially unsafe to eat. I also added fresh mint leaves and herbs to the decoration for this dessert as well.
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
What a wonderful idea to use edible flowers as a garnish. These look so lovely, Toni! I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
Sherri Jo says
perfect for Mother’s day! So gorgeous!
Kate @ Diethood says
Oh, my! This is gorgeous!! It’s something that would make this Mommy very, very happy! 😀
robin masshole mommy says
Same here. I want to try to get my hubby to make this for me on Mother;s Day!!
Winnie says
So gorgeous. I adore anything and everything with edible flowers. Stumbled and pinned!
Toni Dash says
Thanks Winnie! I feel the same. I love the naturalness of it and it’s still somehow surprising!
Wendy | Around My Family Table says
I’ve never had anything rose flavored, but I think I might just have to try these. They sound perfect for brunch this weekend.
Christie - Food Done Light says
What nice Mother’s Day memories. I love that you used different glasses. Gorgeous dessert.
rebecca says
this looks divine
Sarah says
This looks lovely! I recently started playing around with rose water in baking and love it – so now of course I want to put it in everything! Can’t wait to try this out.
It could just be a problem for me on my end – but when I clicked the recipe button I was brought to a 404 error page. Just thought I’d let you know!
Toni Dash says
I think you’ll love this too Sarah! Rose extract is stronger in flavor than rose water and I feel holds it’s flavor more in baking in particular. Thanks for the head’s up about the recipe issue too; it’s fixed now!
robin rue says
The flowers totally make this!! I think edible flowers are so cool!
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
Oh wow. You know, you should open up a restaurant. Your recipes are absolutely amazing. That panna cotta looks divine.
Bill Sweeney says
That is so awesome! I love panna cotta, but I’ve never had a flowery version like this before. That is so fancy.
Catherine Sargent says
This sounds so yummy and it looks so pretty with the edible flowers. I will have to see if I can find some edible flowers at my local store.
Jeanette says
This looks so good! I did not know that there are edible flowers! I want to make this because it looks beautiful and it looks like it’s going to taste delicious.
melissa says
That looks like a great dessert for Mother’s Day or any day. I have never cooked or eaten edible flowers but I love the idea they look so colorful and my kids would love them.
Sarah says
I have never heard of edible flowers! They would make an awesome cake or cupcake decoration! I am going to look for them when I go to the grocery store for basics this afternoon.
Connie says
These look so pretty, and yummy too. Can’t wait to try them.
Lisa Favre says
I have never worked with edible flowers before and you make it seem so easy and flawless. I would love to serve something like this at my next dinner party.
Toni Dash says
What’s fun about them too is they all taste differently. For instance nasturtium are spicy; great in salads. Violets have a very subtle flavor. The mixed packs in the herb section are usually very pretty and colorful!
Rachel Ferrucci says
I love this and it will be perfect to serve on Mother’s Day. I’m adding it to our menu!
Pam says
I am seeing so many edible flowers lately. Yesterday I saw goat cheese with edible flowers. It was good! This looks so pretty.
Kelly Hutchinson says
I honestly did not know there were edible flowers. What a beautiful dessert to make for mom this weekend.
Ladonna Maxwell Dennis says
A great idea for Mother’s Day, or for a wonderful lady’s birthday! Thanks for posting!
Liz Mays says
This is a really nice use of rose flavoring. I wouldn’t mind experimenting with that a little more. Very cool recipe!
Marcie W. says
I have never had a panna cotta but it sounds delicious! Light enough to enjoy during the warm weather, yet decadent enough to still leave me satisfied.
Elizabeth Lampman says
I have never tried edible flowers before. This will be a great treat for Mothers Day. I will have to get the ingredients I need to make this recipe.
gingermommyrants says
I have been looking for something unique to surprise my Mom with this Mothers Day. I am so excited to try making this recipe. It looks so delicious.
Amy Desrosiers says
These little dessert cups are pretty much too pretty to eat. I always thought those flowers were non-edible and just decorations. They are mega pretty.
Amy D says
Yeah this does look like a desert my kids could make and love. I love the springtime theme too!
reesa says
This is just beautiful, almost too pretty to eat! I never had edible flowers before!
Toni Dash says
‘Almost’ is the key word, Reesa. One bite and you’ll get right over that!
Sinisa says
Very creative and cool idea. I know it’s very tasty. Thanks for sharing.
Sarah says
I’ve never made a panna cotta before but boy does it look good! Loving the edible flours on the top – YUMMY!
Amy @ Marvelous Mommy says
I love how you added the edible flowers! I’ve always wanted to try that!
Seattle Travel Blogger says
Panna cotta sounds like a nice treat.
And I am enthusiastic about finding some edible flowers.
Dana Vento says
I’m sure that this is really tasty and refreshing. I’ve never tried it yet and I’ll make sure to make this fantastic recipe this weekend.
Our Family World says
I have seen recipes with edible flowers in their list of ingredients but I have never tried a dish or a drink with it yet. I am curious how this would taste. A rose-flavored dessert is something I am willing to try!
Wendy Polisi says
This is just too gorgeous to eat! I can’t wait to try edible flowers.
Crystal says
My charming next door neighbor taught my girls about edible flowers. For a bit they were adding them to almost everything–salads, desserts, smoothies. This panna cotta is much more glamorous than the creations of my 7-year-old. Sounds delicious and it’s so pretty in those glasses!
katrina gehman says
that’s a super cute. i will have to try this out soon. i’m having a get together soon and may be perfect for it.
Annemarie LeBlanc says
I have not tried rose-flavored desserts or edible flowers. I did not know there was even edible flowers. OMG, I must have been living under a rock! Let me see if I can get the ingredients for the Panna Cotta recipe and if I do, I will try making some. You made me so interested in edible flowers!
Stacie says
This is such a cute dessert. I will have to see if I can get rose extract here. If not, there is always Amazon.
Toni Dash says
There is a link in the post to Amazon for it if you need it! I’ve found that is the easiest and quickest source for it.
Tara says
I love the edible flowers. They are a great addition to the dessert.
Amanda Love says
I don’t think I’ve used rose extract before. It’s definitely a lovely addition to any recipe especially with a dessert as light as this panna cotta! I love teaching or allowing the kids to help out or cook in the kitchen. There’s this sense of pride that they gain when they’re able to prepare a dish for the family.