Mini Earl Grey Scones with Rose Icing for Shavuot

These luscious little Earl Grey scones contain both dairy and rose water, making them doubly appropriate for Shavuot (or a tea party).

Florals—especially, but not limited to, roses and lilies—have a long history as symbols of the holiday. The custom of decorating homes and synagogues with flowers and greenery goes back at least as far as the late Middle Ages (and possibly much further), at which time Rabbi Yaakov ben Moshe Halevi Moelin, known as the Maharil (Germany, 1365–1427), wrote that it was the custom to spread grass and fragrant flowers on the floor of the synagogue in honor of the “joy of the holiday of Shavuot.” In Italy Shavuot was known as the Feast of Roses, and in Persia it was called the Feast of Flowers.

There are many possible explanations as to the origins of this custom, which was widespread in the Jewish world, especially throughout Europe. One is that, in Biblical times, the baskets used to transport first fruits to the Temple were adorned with flowers and leaves. Another is that Mt. Sinai itself was covered in greenery at the time of the giving of the Torah and/or that Mt. Sinai burst into flower when the Torah was given.

The custom of scattering spices and roses on the synagogue floor recalls two midrashes: one claiming that the Israelites had to be revived after fainting out of fear when they heard God’s voice at Mt. Sinai, and another asserting that the fragrance of spices filled the world as each commandment was given.

In the eighteenth century, the Vilna Gaon tried to ban the custom of decorating with flowers and greenery on grounds that it was too similar to Christian customs for Pentecost. His efforts were not widely successful, but they may have led to the substitution of real plants with thematic paper cuttings in Galicia and Bukovina. Paper cutting was a common Eastern European Jewish folk art, and the holiday-specific designs were known as Shavuoslekh (little Shavuot) or roiselekh (little roses). As you might expect given the latter, floral motifs dominated, though some contained text and others depicted classic Jewish symbols, animals, or zodiac signs.

But let’s get back to food. In the Middle East, rose water has traditionally served many purposes: initially developed for administering drugs, it is used in cooking (in puddings, pastries, confections, fruit dishes, beverages, and more), as perfume or body mist, and for washing. According to Gil Marks, in some Yemenite homes a bottle of rose water was kept by the door to sprinkle on arriving guests, and it was also sprinkled at celebrations.

Indeed, in some Sephardic congregations in Izmir, Turkey, it was customary for one member to walk around the synagogue on Shavuot passing around a vial of rose water for worshippers to smell.

Rose water is commonly used in Shavuot cooking among Sephardim, in honor of the tradition of decorating synagogues with rose petals for the holiday.

In the Middle Ages, rose water spread through Europe and then to America, but with the creation of vanilla extract and other new flavorings in the nineteenth century, rose water more or less disappeared from Western cuisine.

Some Middle Eastern families still produce their own floral waters at home, though these days it’s easy to find prepared rose water at Middle Eastern or Indian markets. It’s best used sparingly; it has an intensely floral flavor that can easily become too perfume-y.

This recipe for Earl Grey scones is slightly adapted from the blog Pinch Me I’m Eating; if you head over there, you can also find instructions for a lavender glaze should you wish to mix up your florals.

Mini Earl Grey Scones with Rose Icing

For the Scones

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup heavy cream

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter diced

3 bags Earl Grey tea leaves, about 1 tablespoon

For the Icing

½ cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cream

½ teaspoon rose water

Dried rose petals, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

If your Earl Grey isn’t finely ground, empty tea bags into a small food processor or spice grinder and blend into a powder.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and tea.

Add cold butter cubes and cut in using a pastry blender or cutter until the mixture has a sandy texture. If you don’t have a pastry blender, you can use a potato masher, or grate the cold butter on the coarse side of a box grater.

Beat the egg, cream, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Mix into flour mixture until just combined.

Form the dough into a ball, and shape into a 7-inch square. Cut the dough into a 9-square grid, then cut each square diagonally to make 18 triangular mini scones. Arrange on a baking sheet.

Bake for 12–17 minutes, or until you can see golden brown around the bottoms of the scones.

While the scones are baking, mix the ingredients for the icing in separate in a small bowl until smooth.

While scones are still warm out of the oven, spread icing across the tops, with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Let any excess icing drip off before putting right-side up on a wire rack. For easier cleanup, put the wire rack on top of a baking sheet to catch drips. If you like, scatter dried rose petals on top of the glazed scones while still warm.

Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Sources: “7 Classic Reasons for Shavuot Flowers and Greenery,” Yehuda Shurpin (Chabad.org, June 5, 2008); Encyclopedia of Jewish Food (Gil Marks, 2010); “Mini Earl Grey Scones with Rose and Lavender Icings” (Pinch Me I’m Eating, November 22, 2015); “Shavuot Decorations,” Leslie Koppelman Ross (My Jewish Learning); “Why do we Decorate Synagogues and Homes with Trees and Flowers in Honor of Shavuot?,” Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin (The Schechter Institute, May 2015)