Friday 24 September 2021

Rosewater And Walnut Biscuits/Cookies

Hey guys!  I'm back - well, sort of, kinda, mostly.  Still aching a bit, still a bit stiff, and with an aching arm from the jab!  You know what I mean :-)  My mantra this year is a quote from Julian of Norwich, the 14th century theologian and mystic: "All shall be well ... and all manner of things shall be well."  Her optimism is something for all of us to live by in these troubled times.  I find it helpful to chant this (to myself) when at the dentist also (which I have been to 5 times this year already).  

But harking back to food ... are you a fan of rosewater or lavender or violet flavours in foods?  Yes, I am!  So what if it reminds you of your grandmum's face powder?  I love it, so these biscuits suit me down to the ground.  Here is another of Thalia Ho's recipes from her book Wild Sweetness.  Funny co-incidence re Thalia - I have an artist friend who has a friend who is the mother of Thalia.  Or did I tell you that already?  Talk about 6 degrees of separation ...



all the rosy deliciousness


Makes 16-20 biscuits:


ingredients:

280g./10 oz plain flour 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

150g./5.3 oz butter (unsalted if you wish)

170g./6 oz light brown sugar

100g./3.5 oz white sugar

1 large egg

2-3 tsp rosewater

2 tsp vanilla extract

170g./6 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped - I used Lindt 70% which is easily broken up by hand

70g./2.5 oz walnuts, chopped

sea salt flakes, for scattering on top

dried organic rose petals for finishing (optional)


Method:


Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and whisk together

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring often

Pour the melted butter into a large bowl, tip in both sugars and whisk till combined

Whisk in the egg, then the rosewater and vanilla

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture

Mix well with a wooden spoon till a soft dough has just formed, and mix in the chocolate and walnuts

Cover, and whack into the fridge for 30 minutes

When nearly ready to start baking, put your oven racks on the lower and upper thirds of the stove

Heat the oven to 180C/350F, and line two baking trays with baking paper

You can use a tablespoon or your hands to scoop out and roll the dough onto your trays - about 8-10 on each tray, leaving a bit of room to spread

Scatter some sea salt flakes and rose petals, then bake for 10-12 minutes, swapping the baking trays halfway through the baking time until you have golden biscuits, with crisp edges and soft centres

Allow to relax and cool for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely



melt the butter

whisk the ingredients together to form a soft dough

here it be! - a soft dough

mix in the chocolate and nuts

ready for scooping onto the trays

halfway thru baking

cooling on the rack

I added a bit of bling

oozy and chocolatey

I handed a few out to the neighbours and to Mr P.'s staff, and they were well-received.  Looks like other people enjoy a bit of flowery flavour in their foods too, especially if you add oozy chocolate.  I actually made these the day of my accident, so I suppose you could say that was good timing, 'cos I don't think I'll be baking for a while yet.


© Sherry M.

28 comments:

  1. Glad you're back! And really glad you got jabbed. Well . . . you know what I mean. :-) I do like flowery food from time to time. :-) This is a terrific looking recipe -- definitely a must try. Thanks!

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    1. thanks KR. I am still sore but getting better. And the arm is a wee bit stiff so i do the helicopter every hour - you know whirl my arm around to loosen it. looks funny.

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  2. These sound really good, Sherry!

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  3. I love the mantra and definitely need some optimism in my life right now. Those cookies look crispy yet chewy and I love the add of rosewater in them too, Sherry.

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    1. thanks angie. we all need a darn good mantra these days:)

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  4. I am a huge fan of botanical flavours, and rose is one of my favourite. You've got an interesting combination here. Chocolate, rosewater, and chocolate - must be delicious. Beautiful texture of the cookies, too!

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    1. hi ben, yes rose is lovely as are other florals. i don't care if it smells like granny :)

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  5. Great to see you back Sherry, well almost back. How fortunate that you baked these on the day you fell.I like rosewater in just about anything, not sure about the lavendar, but I do love botanicals in general.I also like that you call these biscuits/cookies.I will never call my biscuits just cookies, goes against the grain somehow.These look so delicious. Sharing is caring, love it.

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    1. thanks pauline. still not quite there yet but slowly slowly ... very fortunate to have made these on that day. yes cookies has crept in which is a shame really. we are totally losing our aussie words and phrases.

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  6. There is nothing like a good cookie and remembering that quote to restore optimism.

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  7. Daaammmmmmm.....I want one of those cookies, all ooey and gooey and chocolately!!!
    Glad you are on the mend. I myself and double jabbed and still embarrassed to be in Florida ;-) What a bunch of jackasses we have in the government right now.

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    1. oh yes tina they are oozy and gooey and delish! yep what a world we are in - friends and family being split apart due to seeing the pandemic in totally opposite ways...

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  8. Love those floral flavors - in sweet and savory dishes! These look phenomenal - thanks for another beautiful recipe!

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    1. me too david. but i fear we are some of the few :)

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  9. Looks delicious! And I love the quote. A little optimism is always welcome.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. hi and thanks amalia
      yes we can all use a bit of her optimism lately.

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  10. Sherry, so sorry you had that fall. Glad you're on the mend. I like your rose, walnut, and vanilla paintings at the end of the post. I hope spring proves to be the new beginning you'd like.

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  11. The biscuits look beautiful with the rough chunks of chocolate and the bling! I like a bit of flowery flavour as long as it isn't too strong.

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  12. Great to see you back, hope it won't be too long before you're back on your feet and baking again! I am not really on Team Floral in Food but I think the floral would be balanced out by the chocolate in this recipe. Nom nom!

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    1. hi sammie
      am still not well sadly but hope to be soon. don't know when i'll get back to doing a blog post! The chocolate is great here.

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  13. Glad you are doing better! Love lavendar in baked goods and everytime I hear rosewater, I think of a delicious creamy dessert with rosewater flavor that I had an an Indian restaurant. So good. With that experience, I bet these cookies are scrumptious.

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    1. thanks MJ. I am still under the weather but hoping to get better soon.

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  14. I remember when Thalia first started blogging. In any case, these sound wonderful and I do love rose. Hope you feel better soon and that one of these cookies will brighten your day. Broken ribs can be quite painful.

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    1. really? i just had a look at her blog. mmm she is a bit out there isn't she? Broken ribs are beyond painful!

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