Baking with savory herbs is a new fascination of mine.  I have recently been baking with rosemary, thyme and now cardamom. These cardamom cookies are delicate and soft with just a tiny crunch factor. Chopped pistachios studded throughout the cookie with a hint of rosewater, although indeterminable if you did not know, make this cookie bloom with flavor.

Please don’t let this cat out of the bag, but I have a new love.  I am totally infatuated with my new love and I have Aarti Sequera of the Food Network to thank for formally introducing us.   Aarti is Indian, and her food is a fusion of flavors taken from her background mixed with flavors from around the world.

Until Aarti, I can honestly say that I have never had the pleasure of working with Cardamom before.  You may gasp…I would too now that I know the tantalizing spell it has over me and the beautiful, fragrant flavor it adds to many of my baked goods.

It’s hard to believe Cardamom and I are just newly introduced these last few months because I honestly feel like I’ve known it all my life…like we were meant to be together.  It was absolutely love at first sight, and now I want more.

It has made it into almost every new muffin I have come up with recently, and I lie in bed awake wondering where I can introduce it next.  My husband is currently unaware that I lie in bed dreaming of another.  Hopefully, he does not read this post.

If you want to begin a love affair with cardamom, I suggest you start with this cookie.  I was inspired by Four Clan Kitchen’s Cardamom Walnut cookie.  This pistachio cookie  is my newest addition to my cardamom recipes.  It is a delicately sweet little butter cookie with a bit of rose water, chopped pistachios and, of course, the new love of my life—cardamom.  I hope you try this recipe and get inspired to add more cardamom to your life.

P.S. I just served these to rave reviews at my office with one comment being, “This is the best cookie I’ve ever had!”   So if that does not inspire you to make these, I don’t know what will. 😉

Rose Water Infused Cardamom Pistachio Cookies
Recipe entirely from my own head, adapted from nowhere…
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/4 c. solid vegetable shortening  (I use a natural one from Whole Foods)
1 c. granulated sugar
2 t. grated lemon zest (no white pith, it is bitter)
1 whole large egg
2 egg yolks, large
1/2 t. rose water
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. rice flour or all purpose flour will be fine here
1 t. baking soda
1/2  t. cardamom
3/4 t. salt
3/4 c. chopped pistachio meat (shelled pistachios…buy them that way…trust me on this)

To make the cookies: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, shortening and sugar on medium speed.  Add lemon zest and one whole egg.  Beat on medium.  Then add the yolks one at a time, beating in between each one until just incorporated.  Add the rosewater and mix on low speed to incorporate.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, salt and cardamom.  Dump 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until just barely combined.  Put in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix again until all ingredients are incorporate.  Add your pistachios and fold them in with a rubber spatula.  Over mixing makes for tougher cookies.

Scoop the batter out using a small ice cream scoop onto the cookie sheet.  Bake for about 13 minutes.  I know that is pretty exact, but that’s exactly when it was done.  Look for just a touch of golden color on the outside of the cookie.  When touched it should be just very slightly firm.  Let the cookies cool on the pan for about ten minutes.  Only bake one sheet at a time.  Otherwise, you tend to burn the cookies on the bottom sheet.  That’s just how the cookie crumbles…

Enjoy these cookies with a nice hot cup of tea.  They just seem made for going with tea.  Enjoy and please let me know if you make them and what you think since this is my very own creation!