Rose Cardamom & Pistachio Shortbread
3 of my Favourite Flavours all in One Place - Friday Food Chat with Kath
I know there are a few people out there that don’t like rose in food.
I am not one of those people!
It can be overdone, and taste like you are eating perfume, but done well and with good quality rosewater (Iranian rosewater is my favourite for a subtle yet floral flavour), it can be the most delicious thing.
I first featured these Rose Cardamom and Pistachio Shortbread in my Baking with Rose eBook, which is an essential companion for fellow rosewater loving people!
The combination of rose and cardamom, along with the pistachios means you get a flavoursome and colourful biscuit.
The pink in the biscuits come from crystallised rose nibs (or chopped crystallised rose petals), which are a great addition if you can find them - in Australia, The Essential Ingredient sells them. If you can’t stand rose or can’t get any in crystallised form, you can substitute for a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped pistachios.
Rose Cardamom & Pistachio Shortbread
Ingredients:
160g unsalted butter, softened
60g caster sugar
1 tsp rosewater
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds, ground
250g plain flour
15g crystallised rose nibs/crystallised rose petals, finely chopped
1 tbsp pistachios, finely chopped
Method:
Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius and line two large baking trays with baking paper.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour to remove any lumps, then set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together the butter, sugar, rosewater and ground cardamom with the paddle attachment. Mix until well combined.
Add the flour and mix on low speed until a dough begins to form. Add the crystallised rose nibs and gently mix.
Dust your work surface with flour, and tip the dough out. Bring together with your hands then roll the dough out using a rolling pin until it is 1-2mm thick. Cut out biscuits using a heart shaped biscuit cutter (approx. 7-7.5cm in width at the widest part). Place on the prepared trays. Re-roll the scraps of dough until it is all used up.
Scatter the chopped pistachios over the tops of each biscuit.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating the trays in the oven around halfway through to ensure they cook evenly. The biscuits will be lightly golden in colour once they are done.
Once the biscuits are cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the trays.
Makes about 20.
Check out more recipes over on the paid version of this newsletter feat. A Ginger Sponge Cake, Salmon Herbed Pikelets and A Caramel Ginger Pudding. See the whole archive here and sign up to support my work and get it all straight to your inbox or Substack feed!
Panela Sugar Shortbread
Here is a shortbread recipe for those who aren’t fans of floral flavours, but would like like a mild twist on the traditional shortbread. Using panela sugar in these gives them a mild caramel flavour and a great crunch.
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