Rose Pistachio Cookies

Instructions

Step 1

To prepare the cookie dough, add powdered sugar and butter to a large bowl of a stand mixer. With a paddle attachment, cream ingredients until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 30 seconds. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, rose water, and almond or pistachio extract. Start mixing on low speed and increase speed to medium to ensure ingredients are incorporated well. Add the flour, salt, rose petals, and pistachios. Scrape down the sides of the mixer again. Mix on low speed until ingredients are combined, but not overmixed. Remove bowl from mixer and transfer half of the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form a disk with your hands and then wrap in the plastic wrap. Form another disk with the remaining dough. Place the disks of cookie dough in a refrigerator to chill for approximately 10 minutes. 

Step 2

Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set pans aside. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and remove one of the disks from the plastic wrap. Place on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll cookie dough to ¼-inch thick. With the 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut cookies out and place on the sheet pan. Roll out the remaining dough and cut out the cookies just as before. Place the cookies on the sheet pan; the cookies do not spread very much, so the cookies can be placed 4x4 on one sheet pan and 4x5 on the other pan. Bring the scraps of dough together with hands and roll and cut remaining out remaining cookies. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The cookies may not take 12 minutes; the cookies should be a light golden brown around the edges. Once cookies are baked, set pans aside on a rack to cool completely. 

Step 3

To prepare the icing, in a large bowl, add the powdered sugar. While mixing with a whisk, add the rose water and milk. Whisk until icing is smooth. If a thinner icing is desired, more milk may be added or less if a more thick-spreadable icing is desired. Once the icing is smooth, set bowl aside until ready to decorate cookies. Cover the icing with plastic wrap if the icing is going to sit for more than a few minutes. 

Step 4

To decorate cookies, first scoop some of the icing into a piping bag that is fitted with a small round tip. Twist the piping bag to secure. Holding the piping bag at a 90° angle, pipe a line down the middle of the cookie. Second, pipe icing to outline around the edge of the half of the cookie. Lastly, using the piping bag, fill in the outlined part of the cookie. If desired, the cookie halves can be filled in by taking some of the icing with a small off-set spatula or butter knife and smoothing the icing on the half of the cookie. The icing will harden quickly, so only ice a few cookies at a time. Once the half of the cookie is iced, sprinkle some of the chopped pistachios on top and place one or two pieces of the dried rose petals on top. Set decorated cookies aside to let the icing harden. Decorate the remaining cookies.