I’ve always loved these crackled almond tea cookies from the time I’ve spent in Morocco and when I saw this recipe from Susan Spungen of Susanality, with the delicious spin of adding raw chopped pistachio and edible rose petal sugar, I knew it was time to test them out again. 

Here is another one of our “festive favorites” to share with your loved ones this winter.

A special thanks to David for meticulously managing the kitchen timer for the perfect crunch —  they turned out just as scrumptious as I remembered they were! My friend Kim Schiffer came to visit from Santa Barbara and brought the best pistachios. She insisted we quadruple the batch. 150 cookies later, we filled a tagine.

Moroccan-Inspired Pistachio Cookies with Rose Sugar

Makes about 16 large cookies

  • 1 scant cup / 125g whole raw pistachios 
  • 1 1/3 cups / 125g almond flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 slightly rounded teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup / 56g very soft unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup / 100g granulated sugar 
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar, for rolling

For the rose sugar (optional):

  • 1/4 cup dried edible rose petals 
  • 1/4 cup / 50g granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grind the pistachios in a food processor. In a medium bowl, combine the ground pistachios with the almond flour, salt, and baking powder.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the butter, sugar, egg yolks, and extracts. Use a fork or wooden spoon to combine well.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir to combine well.

Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Pinch off a bit of dough (about the size of a walnut), roll it into a ball then roll it in the sugar, coating well. If the dough seems too soft to work with, chill it for a few minutes then try again.

If garnishing with rose sugar, combine dried edible rose petals with granulated sugar in the food processor and pulse to combine thoroughly. 

Place each ball on a baking sheet, leaving 3 inches between cookies. You should be able to fit 8 on a baking sheet. If using rose sugar, sprinkle a big pinch on top of each cookie. 

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until they are just turning golden at the base. If baking two sheets at a time, reverse the positions of the pans (from front to back and top to bottom) halfway through baking.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container.