A delicious and easy shortbread biscuit recipe is taken to a new level with the delicate flavours of rose and pistachio.
These delicate and yummy Rose and Pistachio shortbread biscuits would be perfect for baking this spring! Especially for Mother’s Day or an afternoon tea.
I always bake something for my mum, although she doesn’t actually have much of a sweet tooth at all, so I usually kindly help her to eat it. #ulteriormotives
I’m pretty sure all of us bakers do that though, right?! “Oh it’s your birthday, I better make you a cake!” Translation: I would like to eat cake.
Don’t you just love pistachios? I love their flavour, obviously, but I also really love their jade green colour which makes these Rose and Pistachio Shortbread so lovely.
Paired with the gorgeous pink of rose petals, they may be the prettiest biscuits I’ve ever made.
These shortbread biscuits are so easy to make too – we’ll just combine butter, sugar, vanilla, egg and flour and then stir in the pistachios, rose extract and some dried rose petals. (If you’re lucky enough to have a rose bush, you could use fresh!).
Did you know that rose is a flavour that lots of people are scared of using? It’s for a good reason – it can taste overwhelmingly floral if it’s used in the wrong quantities. The best way to keep the flavouring here on the beautiful, delicate side, is to add the rosewater a drop at a time until you’re happy with the amount.
The rosewater I used is by Steenberg’s – Organic rosewater and these are the rose petals that I got.
Making these cookies is a cinch! There’s very little active time involved, though the dough does need to chill in the fridge for about an hour before you roll it out and bake it.
- 100g unsalted butter
- 50g light brown sugar
- 1 medium free range egg
- pinch salt
- 200g plain flour
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- approx 1 tsp rosewater
- 2 tbsp rose petals
- 50g chopped pistachios
- In a medium bowl, cream together your soft butter with the sugar until it's light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, salt and vanilla bean paste.
- Next, mix in the flour, rose petals and pistachios and mix everything together.
- Here's where we add the rosewater - just add one or two drops at a time and mix it in, tasting the dough until you're happy with the level of rose flavour.
- Wrap your dough in clingfilm and leave it to rest in the fridge for an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 165C / gas mark 4 and prepare a large cookie sheet (I used a non-stick silicone mat).
- Next, roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut out biscuits with a cookie cutter shape of your choice.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they are very faintly browned on the edges.
Intrigued about baking with rose? Here’s a few more rosewater recipes to inspire you!
Cardamom Cake with White Chocolate and Rose Buttercream
Blueberry and Rose Almond Bars
Pistachio, Cardamom and Rose Financiers
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maggie says
February 14, 2016 at 12:21 amthank you very much. I just love your blog, and I do make quite a lot from it …. your recipes always work. I also like very much the frugal feeding one …. Nick. His recipes always work too! tHank you very much again. By the way, I made the dough for above biscuits but then some one visited so I put dough I. fridge where it is still! I will roll out and bake tomorrow morn. I bought a heart shaped cutter from my favourite store … Lakeland!,
Maggie says
February 12, 2016 at 7:47 pmHi Kerry, a really strange thing happened Last week, I posted a message on your fab cream cheese icing post, I know if was old …. but anyway I had a reply but not from you ….. from someone who said they have the same name as you!!!!! Yikes!! anyway, I know this is not the right place to post about another recipe (I am about to make these gorgeous biscuits for Valentines Day presents …. I bought my cream cheese from Lidles today …. and I also bought some pistachios from there as well ….) anyway please could I ask you?? I want to add some white choc to your cream cheese icing …. or if not yours, another recipe …. my friend for whom cake is intended loves White choc …. and I wondered if it would work?. Also will your cream cheese icing colour to a deep pink and then a paler one …. sometimes I find my icing turns out more salmon coloured …!! I am actually making a very pretty recipe from this months Sainsburys mag, the icing has a block of coconut in it but best friend hates coconut!!!, but the cake is so pretty. I apol if I should not have used this post to ask you, but my question last week is still there under the cream cheese recipe …v odd!!! Thank you,
Maggie
Kerry Cooks says
February 12, 2016 at 10:07 pmHello! No worries! You can indeed add white chocolate to the cream cheese frosting! Just melt it and add it in at the end. Re the colour – if you use gel colour it should be easier to get the colour you want, just add a teeny amount for the pale pink. Good luck with the cake, sounds yummy!
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs says
January 31, 2016 at 1:02 pmWhat great idea of adding rose and Pistachio to buttery shortbread. I usually make it plain, sometimes dip it with chocolate but this sounds fantastic. Great with a good cup of coffee.
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
January 31, 2016 at 10:00 amBeen cooking with rose and pistachio this weekend so very excited to find more recipes to try. These look lush.
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry recently posted…Chinese Red-Cooked Pork Brioche Sandwich #ChineseNewYear
Diana says
January 30, 2016 at 8:23 pmRose and pistachio is an amazing combination, there are many middle eastern desserts that are made with this combination. I bet that these shortbread cookies taste wonderful