To Valentine or not to Valentine, that is the question.

In this household it’s very much the latter, but nothing is stopping me from getting these little babies out there for others to enjoy.

We’ve all heard of Persian love cake, right?

It crossed my mind to make one for the blog for this Valentines Day-to-those-that-care, but with so many variations already spreading their version of love to the world, why not do something totally different?

So I whipped up a soft, slightly chewy almond-based cookie that’s delicately perfumed with nutmeg, cardamom and rosewater.

And then I juiced the left-over half of pomegranate that was staring at me from the fridge. It was looking a bit sad, as well, but perfectly fine to juice. A bit of icing sugar, some gentle stirring action and we have a vibrantly coloured, sugary emulsion to splash all over the cookies. Food colouring would do, but why bother with the synthetics when a pomegranate can do the trick?

And then I went foraging as I allowed the icing to set. As you do.

Crepe myrtle flowers from down the road (yes, they’re edible and in abundance at the moment), a few white clover flowers and a cheeky swipe from a head of *hydrangea from someones front yard. Ok, the flowers were hanging over the footpath, so that means they’re anyones – within reason.

*Please note, hydrangea flowers are not edible and I have only used them as a garnish. 

Happy Valentines to those that care, and bah humbug from the rest of us!

Print Recipe

Persian love cookies

You've heard of Persian love cake, but have you tried Persian love cookies? These little things are almost to beautiful to eat!

Course

Dessert

Servings

cookies

Ingredients

• 140 g almond meal
• 110 g icing sugar sifted
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cardamom
• ⅓ cup dried rose petals
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp rosewater
• 80 g pistachios finely sliced

Icing

• 60 g icing sugar sifted
• 1½ tsp pomegranate juice

Course Dessert Servings cookies Ingredients 140 g almond meal 110 g icing sugar sifted ½ tsp nutmeg 1 tsp cardamom ⅓ cup dried rose petals 1 egg white 1 tsp rosewater 80 g pistachios finely sliced Icing 60 g icing sugar sifted 1½ tsp pomegranate juice

Instructions

Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Combine the almond meal, icing sugar, nutmeg, cardamom and rose petals in a mixing bowl. Stir through the egg white and rosewater until it comes together.
3. Take tablespoons of the mixture and roll them into balls, then roll them in the sliced pistachios to coat well.
4. Place the balls onto the baking tray and press down to about a 1 centimetre thickness. Bake for 20 minutes until pale golden. Cool completely on the tray before icing.

Icing

1. Stir the icing sugar and pomegranate juice together until combined. Either spoon the icing over the cookies or pipe it. Allow the icing to set completely before storing in a container.
2. To serve, garnish with edible flowers and dust with icing sugar.

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