The rosette iron is a special kind of kitchen device used to make the glorious pastries known as rosettes. These are deep-fried delicacies, crisp and brown, that are popular in Scandinavian countries, though you may also see them elsewhere, especially in county fairs in the United States. They may have a slight lemon taste and are normally served hot, sprinkled with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, or are frosted.

In order to make rosettes, you do need to invest in a rosette iron, which has two parts. The first part is a long handle made of metal, to which a decoratively shaped form is attached. There are numerous decorations, but most common are flowers and star shapes. The decorative form is usually made of cast iron, and after the form is dipped into hot oil, it is dipped in the rosette batter, and then fried for a few minutes to create crispy rosettes.

Length of the handle onto which the rosette form fits varies, and it’s a good idea to look for handle with a wooden or heat resistant covering at the top so you won’t burn your fingers. Alternately, be sure to wear heatproof gloves or oven mitts, since you are working with very hot oil. Rosette iron sets may have a few decorative forms, and it is sometimes possible to drop the forms into the hot oil, using the handle to remove them when ready.

A rosette iron isn’t typically a very expensive purchase. You can normally get one for about $20-30 dollars. Price difference may reflect how many forms come with the purchase and quality of material. The traditional time to serve rosettes is during Christmas time, so you may find many more of these available in department stores right around that item of year, and you’ll certainly find a variety of sites like Amazon.

In taste, rosettes are similar to funnel cakes, though they tend to be smaller and crunchier. There are tons of recipes online and offline that can keep your using your rosette iron at every opportunity. It’s certainly not just for Christmas, or as is the case in Finland for May Day, also called Vappu, which is celebrated on the 30th of April. If you happen to be visiting Finland on Vappu, you’ll probably find plenty of places to get rosettes or watch people using a rosette iron because this is a large carnival style holiday.