Organic Rose, Pistachio & Olive Oil Shortbread

Inspired by Braintree's current Winter Florals collection, I'm delighted to share with you this delicious, organic recipe I have created using edible flowers. I have some beautiful organic roses in the garden and I thought I would put them to good use. I went with a shortbread recipe... but it's no ordinary shortbread. First, it contains no butter! The butter has been replaced with olive oil and you would not believe how well it works. The result is a crumbly, delicate shortbread with just a hint of olive oil flavour which pairs beautifully with the added rosewater and pistachios. The rosewater and pistachios, of course, give this shortbread a Middle Eastern flavour. If you like Turkish Delight, then you will LOVE this vegan shortbread. I also used organic white spelt flour in place of plain flour which gives a wonderful texture and also makes it lower in gluten - which is great for those with mild gluten intolerance.

Organic Rose, Pistachio & Olive Oil Vegan Shortbread

Ingredients

300g / 2½ cups organic white spelt flour 1 tbsp organic corn starch 100g / ½ cup organic golden caster sugar 160ml / ⅔ cup mild organic olive oil 1 tsp organic rosewater ½ cup chopped pistachios Dried rose petals, to decorate (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix the spelt flour, corn starch and sugar together in a food processor. 2. Add the olive oil and rosewater and mix until it forms a soft dough. 3. Add to a floured board and kneed in half the chopped pistachios. 4. Chill the mixture in the fridge for about one hour. 5. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. 6. Roll the dough out to about ¾ cm thickness. Use a cookie cutter or upside down glass to cut into shapes and place on the baking sheet. 7. Use the remaining chopped pistachios to press into the tops of the cookies. 8. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. 9. Leave to cool before serving. Decorate with dried rose petals! You may also like to try my Vegan Rosewater Scones. Gently flavoured with rosewater, these dairy-free, egg-free scones are so easy to make and taste divine. Enjoy!   See more of Aimee's free-from and vegan recipes at wallflowerkitchen.com