Traces of flour cover the kitchen counter. Baking appliances sit, patiently waiting to be used. My aunt reaches up the cabinet to grab her prized stand mixer. Christmas music echoes in the background and the fire is crisp. The holiday season serves to be one of the most perfect times to bake sweet treats. Cookies specifically, serve as a perfect bite to eat while enjoying the festivities this time of year has to bring. 

The typical sugar cookie is something most of us are quite accustomed to. Spending the holidays baking and decorating the classic sugar cookie has always been fun for me. Everytime the holiday season rolls around, my family and I make our way to my aunt’s house to make sugar cookies and decorate them. However, this year, my aunt introduced me to a new recipe she had found off of The Original Dish.

“They’re called Pistachio Rose Sugar Cookies,” she exclaimed. I was intrigued by the rose aspect of these sugar cookies, as it tends to be a strong flavor. However, I am still familiar with the flavor, as rose water originated from Persia (present day Iran). 

The cookies were dipped in white chocolate and topped with pistachios. I enjoyed exploring more of a non-traditional Christmas cookie through this recipe and had such a good time making them with my aunt. The recipe calls for…

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp kosher salt 
• 2 sticks butter, softened 
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp of rose water 
• Powdered sugar (for rolling)
• 12 oz white chocolate, finely chopped for frosting
• ½ cup pistachios finely chopped for topping
• ¼ cup dried rose petals for topping

12 Steps to the Perfect Pistachio Rose Sugar Cookie

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Set aside
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Cream the butter and sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Mix in the egg and rose water until incorporated.
4. Add the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed, and then raise the speed to medium and mix until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Divide the dough into 2. Flatten each piece and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 345 degrees Fahrenheit
7. Roll the dough out to ¼ inches on a clean surface dusted lightly with powdered sugar. Make sure the dough does not get too warm.
8. Use a cookie cutter of your choice to cut out the dough. Christmas tree shapes are perfect for a festive cookie. Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined sheet pan using a spatula.
9. Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. Let cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack.
10. To top, melt the white chocolate over a double boiler until smooth.
11. Once cookies cool completely, dip them face-down into the white chocolate. Be careful not to break the cookies.
12. Sprinkle each cookie with the pistachios and rose petals to top off.