Salted Pistachio Rose Cookies

Here in the UK, we’ve been experiencing an Indian summer. Blue skies, sunshine, warmth, walking around in short sleeves… I’ve been enjoying it for sure. And so has the garden. Typically winding down for Winter this month, gardens have suddenly burst into colour again. June roses are back in full bloom. I’ve never known this happen before.

Pink Rose

Seeing the roses out in bloom again has been the inspiration for my latest experiments in the kitchen. In a recent delivery from Suma, I received this Organic Rose Water by Steenburgs. I absolutely adore it and have been adding it to all kinds of baked and non-baked goodies.

Steenbergs Organic Rose Water

I’ve got a couple of rose-inspired recipes that I’d love to share, kicking off with these gorgeous Salted Pistachio Rose Cookies that I created for the Suma Blogger’s Network

Salted Pistachio Rose Cookies

Delicately flavoured with rose, these cookies make a delicious treat, perfect for serving with an ‘Elevenses’ cuppa or as an after school snack. They’re made with wholegrain flour and pistachios so, as cookies go, they are far more healthful than the regular variety.

Salted Pistachio Rose Cookies

Since rose is such a sweet flavour, I’ve also been able to cut the sugar right down to just 4 TBSP in a 12 cookie batch. This equates to just 1 tsp per cookie.

Pistachios are quite pricey at the moment, so I’ve been buying the unshelled roasted and salted packs. These tend to be a lot cheaper than the pre-shelled nuts. They work really well in these cookies as the saltiness enhances the cookie flavour. It doesn’t take that long to shell them. About eight minutes.  The hard bit is resisting eating them all as you shell.

Salted Pistachio Rose Cookies

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Makes 12 cookies
Hands on time: 20 minutes    Baking time: 12 minutes
Ready in: 35 minutes

Ingredients
55g / 2 oz / ¼ cup unrefined/golden caster sugar (organic sugar)
55ml / 2 fl oz / ¼ cup aroma-free coconut oil or any neutral-flavoured oil
30ml / 1 fl oz / 2 TBSP soya or almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tsp rose water*
100g / 3½ oz / ¾ cup fine wholemeal or chapatti flour
1 TBSP semolina
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
60g / 2 oz / ½ cup shelled roasted salted pistachios

* The strength of rose water is likely to vary by brand. I suggest starting with 2 tsp and adjust after tasting the batter. In my test batches I used 3 tsp and some of my testers found it a little overpowering.

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C (160C fan) / 350F. Line two large baking trays with non stick baking paper. Roughly chop the pistachios. If using coconut oil, melt it by placing the jar in a bowl of hot water.

Using a strong fork, whisk together the sugar, oil, milk, syrup, vanilla extract and rose water in a mixing bowl until it becomes smooth and caramel-like. Sift in the flour, semolina, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and stir to combine. Set aside half of the nuts, then stir the remaining half into the batter.

Scoop tablespoons of dough and space them out on the prepared trays. Using damp fingers, press into cookie shapes (these cookies won’t spread much). Sprinkle on the remaining pistachio pieces and press into the dough.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Turn the trays round and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until lightly golden. Leave to cool on the trays for a few minutes (they will firm up as they cool) then transfer to a wire rack. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container where they will keep for a couple of weeks. They also freeze well.

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10 thoughts on “Salted Pistachio Rose Cookies

  1. Hi Sharon. This recipe looks great. Hope to try it some time.
    Do you ever use gluten-free flour and alternatives to sugar – e.g. agave, in your baking? I am trying to cut down on these two basic ingredients and wonder how this recipe would turn out with substitutes.
    I was given a cookery book for my birthday – Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward. Have you seen it?Its based on whole-food and dairy/gluten free ingredients. I haven’t made anything from it yet.
    Hope you and the family are well.
    Love, Virya x

    1. Hi lovely Virya <3
      I find that GF flour works fine in my pancake & waffle recipes, but I'm not so keen on it in baked goods. I find the texture's very different (slightly 'gritty/sandy' or 'claggy') compared to wheat-flour. I guess it's something you get used to if you eat GF all the time.
      My two favourite sweeteners are coconut sugar and maple syrup, so a lot of my recipes feature these. My Orange and Almond Cake uses agave syrup instead of sugar. It's a reader favourite 🙂
      I do have a copy of Deliciously Ella's book. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but I'm looking forward to doing so xx

  2. Your pictures are so pretty Sharon! I’ve never cooked with rose water before, it’s never really appealed to me but I might change my mind since I’m really interested in the fact that you’ve been able to reduce the sugar content to 1 tsp a cookie – amazing!

    I guess these would work with a gluten free flour blend and I know my husband would love them since he adores Turkish Delight.

    I didn’t know that Suma did an aroma free coconut oil. I remember reading on one of your posts (the pasties?) that you can buy aroma free coconut butter but even though I’ve thought about it often (because I must try your pie recipe) it’s a little too expensive for us at the moment. I must check out the Suma coconut oil, what a breakthrough because I don’t like the taste generally.

    1. Thanks Vicky! Rose is a very distinct flavour, so I’m guessing that people will either love it or hate it. Like your husband, I used to adore Turkish Delight. Now I find it’s too sugary for me (and leaves me feeling queasy) so I much prefer making my own rose-flavoured treats 🙂

  3. I feel like I’m missing out on the weather! It’s still pretty mild in London and Kent but nonetheless very autumnal and not too sunny – or filled with many flowers anymore. These cookies look delicious regardless of the weather though!

    1. Finally, Autumnal has arrived in Bath too 🙂 The trees are absolutely stunning with their vivid red & golden leaves. I love this time of year!

  4. The cookies look great! TOTALLY LOVING your blog, btw! I’ve had Steenberg’s Teas and really enjoy them! I would love to try some of the other products but they aren’t easy to find here in the US. Swing by my place if you have time!

    1. Hey Jennifer. So lovely to hear from you! It’s great to hear that the Steenberg’s teas have made their way to the US. They look amazing! I can’t wait to try them myself. Heading over to check out your blog right now 🙂

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