Scones with Rosewater Glaze and Pistachios
I love a morning with coffee and a scone—better yet, fresh-baked cardamom-scented Scones with a Rosewater Glaze and toasted pistachios. The gorgeous scent of Rosewater indulges the senses, with a little crunch of toasted pistachios and crushed dried rose petals. They are perfectly sweet and indulgent.
This recipe is inspired by one of my favorite Lebanese restaurants in Long Beach, California, Open Sesame. The dessert menu includes rose-scented Ashta ice cream with Baklava crumble and Pistachios. You may be wondering how this is related. One word: rosewater.
What is Rosewater?
Simply put, Rosewater is made of rose petals steeped in water. The bottle is typically clear when you buy it, and the liquid is just like water. As soon as you open the bottle, the gorgeous aroma sneaks out. It is a common pantry staple ingredient in desserts and pastries in countries in the Mediterranean and Middle East. It can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores, Whole Foods, or online. For culinary uses, a little goes a long way. What does rosewater taste like? It doesn’t have a sharp taste; it’s the pronounced scent that romances the taste buds.
Where to buy dried rose petals
This recipe is garnished with dried rose petals intended for culinary use. Like rosewater, well-stocked spice shops carry dried rose petals. Middle Eastern markets have them, and you can find them online. Indeed, this is optional, but it’s an excellent finish to these fabulous scones.
Ingredients
Scones:
- All-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- White, granulated sugar
- Kosher salt
- Fresh orange zest
- Ground Cardamom
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Buttermilk
Rosewater Glaze:
- Rosewater
- Water
- Powdered Sugar
- Raw pistachios toasted
Garnish
- Dried culinary rose petals
Equipment needed
I highly recommend using a dough cutter. This makes incorporating the butter consistently easier. The second item I recommend is a Silpat or parchment paper, which makes clean-up a flash. Finally, one of my most used kitchen tools is a microplane to zest the orange. This is one of my favorite kitchen tools, and I’ve had the same one for about 20 years.
How to bake scones
This recipe is easy to follow. Two tips to remember are to keep the butter chilled until it’s ready to add to the recipe and not overwork the dough. The butter needs to be chilled to get the scone’s flakiness; the less the dough is overworked, the more tender the scone.
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sugar
- Salt
- Orange zest
- Cardamom
- Whisk ingredients together.
- Add the cubed, chilled butter and cut into the flour mixture using the dough cutter. Continue to work in the butter until the mixture has reached a texture where the dough looks like it has small butter chunks in it. Typically, the butter pieces have been cut into around an eighth of an inch or so.
- Stir in the egg and buttermilk just until combined.
- Sprinkle some all-purpose flour onto a clean surface and turn the dough on the surface.
- Knead the dough just enough to incorporate it thoroughly. It should be a very quick knead. The dough will look shaggy, which is normal. Do not over-knead the dough.
- Divide the dough in half and form into rounds.
- Cut each round into six wedges and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove and allow to cool.
How to toast raw pistachios
Add the raw pistachios to a small skillet over medium heat. Stir them around until they smell nutty and are toasted about 3-4 minutes. Remove the pistachios from the pan, place them in a small bowl, and allow them to cool. Once cooled, chop them into smaller pieces. They are now ready for the scones.
How to make the Rosewater glaze
Using a small bowl, add 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of Rosewater, 1 tablespoon of water. Mix with a fork until thoroughly blended. The glaze will be liquid and ready to glaze the scones.
How to glaze scones
Once the scones have been removed from the oven and cooled off, use a small spoon to drizzle the glaze in a zig-zag pattern onto each scone. Repeat for each scone until they are all glazed.
Sprinkle with toasted pistachios and sprinkle dried rose petals for the final flourish. When you bite into these, they are tender with just enough sweetness and the gorgeous aroma of rose. Trust! They are spectacular!
Serve these with a cup of tea or coffee. Delicious!
How to store and freeze
These delicious scones are freezable. A zip-type plastic bag works just fine. However, freeze them without the glaze, pistachios, and rose petals.
Defrost them in the microwave for 15-45 seconds (depending on your microwave), or warm them in the oven wrapped in foil. Once heated, remove them from the oven, drizzle the Rosewater glaze, sprinkle the pistachios, and garnish with dried rose petals.
If you love this recipe, try these fan favorites: Banana and Oat Muffins, Cranberry Orange Cheesecake Bars, and Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies.
If you tried this recipe, please help other readers by commenting below and sharing some stars! We 🫶🏼 appreciate you!
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
Scones with Rosewater Glaze and Pistachios
February 8, 2025
Equipment
- 1 dough cutter
- 1 silicon baking sheet or parchment paper
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 microplane for zesting orange
Ingredients
Scones
- 2 cups All-purpose flour spooned and leveled + more for dusting
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
- 3 tablespoons White granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Fresh orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom ground
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter or half a stick of butter cube upon using
- 1 Egg slightly beaten
- 2/3 cup Buttermilk
Rosewater glaze
- 2 tablespoons Rosewater culinary
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar packed
- 1/4 cup Raw pistachios toasted
Garnish
- Rose petals dried, culinary
Instructions
Scones
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, Baking powder, Baking soda, Sugar, Salt, Orange zest and Cardamom.
- Whisk dry ingredients together.
- Add the cubed, chilled butter and using the dough cutter, cut into the flour mixture. Continue to work in the butter until the mixture has reached a texture like coarse cornmeal. Typically, the butter pieces have been cut into around an eighth of an inch or so.
- Stir in the egg and buttermilk just until combined.
- On a clean surface, sprinkle some all-purpose flour onto it and turn the dough on the surface.
- Gently knead just enough to incorporate the dough thoroughly. It should be a very quick knead. Do not over-knead the dough.
- Divide the dough in half and form into rounds.
- Cut each round into six wedges and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove and allow to cool.
How to toast pistachios
- Add the raw pistachios to a small skillet over medium heat. Stir them around until they smell nutty and are toasted about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the pistachios from the pan, place them in a small bowl, and allow them to cool. Once cooled, chop them into smaller pieces. They are now ready for the scones.
Rosewater Glaze
- In a small bowl, add 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of Rosewater, and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl.
- Mix with a fork until thoroughly blended.
- The glaze will be liquid and ready to glaze the scones.
How to glaze scones
- Once the scones have been removed from the oven and cooled off.
- Use a small spoon to drizzle the glaze in a zig-zag formation onto each scone.
- Repeat for each scone until they are all glazed.
Garnish
- Sprinkle crushed rose petals onto each scone and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated online and should be used as a guide.
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
These scones are beautiful and delicious, highly recommend making them!
These have become a family favorite, so happy to hear you are like them!