Cardamom Pistachio Rolls with Rosewater Glaze
A little bit less sweet than your classic cinnamon roll, these Persian-flavor inspired Cardamom Pistachio Rolls are creamy, buttery, and full of flavor. These Cardamom Pistachio Rolls feature a buttery rich brioche dough that is smothered in a homemade pistachio paste. This pistachio paste consists of pistachios, rosewater, cardamom, cinnamon, and a touch of sugar, making it creamy, nutty, packed with flavor, and delicately sweet. The finished Cardamom Pistachio Rolls are then glazed with an easy-to-make rosewater glaze, which pairs beautifully with the pistachios and cardamom.
How to Peel Pistachios
To achieve that bright green filling colour, it is essential to properly peel the pistachios. The best way to effectively peel the pistachios is by blanching them first! Basically, throw the peeled pistachios into a pot of boiling water and allow them to sit in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Then remove the pistachios, and place them into a bowl of cold water. Then using your hands, pinch each individual pistachio and the skin should pop right off! Just transfer them onto a towel to dry before using.
How to Make Pistachio Paste Filling
The filling for these Cardamom Pistachio Rolls involves a homemade pistachio paste. To create the pistachio paste:
1.Add pistachios to food processor: Throw the shelled and peeled pistachios into a food processor, and grind them until they are mushy and become smooth when smoothed with a spatula. About 5-10 minutes.
2. Add sugar, salt, rose water, cinnamon, and cardamom: Add these ingredients into the food processor, and continue to process the mixture until uniform and thick.
3. Drizzle in oil: While the food processor continues to process, slowly drizzle in the oil. Process the mixture until silky looking and pale.
4. Add water: While the food processor continues to process, drizzle in the water, then process until smooth and well combined.
How to Make Cardamom Pistachio Rolls Dough
My favorite way to make bread dough is with the stand mixer and dough hook. These seriously make such easy work out of making any bread dough! To make these Cardamom Pistachio Rolls, start by blooming your yeast in the slightly warm milk. Once the yeast and milk have become frothy, add it to the stand mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, melted butter, and sugar, until well combined. Throw this egg mixture and the flour into the stand mixer with the yeast-milk, and mix it all together with a wooden spoon until a very shaggy dough is formed. Place the dough hook onto the stand mixer, and proceed to beat the dough on medium for 5 or so minutes.
The dough should be pretty tacky, smooth looking, and elastic. It should be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, but should not be sticking to the sides of the bowl. This should take about 5ish minutes. Then you place the dough into a greased bowl, cover it with plastic, and place in warm place to rise for about an hour. After an hour it should be doubled in size. This is now where you roll out the dough, top it, roll it, and slice it into the beautiful Cardamom Pistachio Rolls. Then after a second rise, the Cardamom Pistachio Rolls are ready to be baked!
How to Roll, Filling, and Cut the Cardamom Pistachio Rolls
Start by rolling out the once-proofed dough into a 12”x16”rectangle (about ¼” thick), with the long-side facing you. Spread the pistachio cardamom filling overtop of the dough, leaving about a 1” strip empty along the top. Brush a little bit of water onto the bare 1” strip, then proceed to roll the dough away from you into a log shape. Using your hands, try to shape the dough as best as you can to ensure even thickness throughout the log. Then, using a serrated knife, or a piece of string, slice the dough into eight 2” round slices.
Place these slices into a grease 9×9” baking dish, or a greased 9” cast iron skillet. Cover and allow to rise for another hour, then place into the oven to bake!
Get the Recipe: Cardamom Pistachio Rolls with Rosewater Glaze
Ingredients
Pistachio Paste
- 5 oz Raw, Unsalted Pistachios
- 1 ¼ cups (5oz) Confectioners Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp Rosewater
- 3/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Cardamom
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 tbsp Water
Brioche Dough
- 2/3 cup Whole Milk,, warmed to 105°F
- 2 ¼ tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1/4 cup White Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter,, melted
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour, , plus more if needed, measured correctly †
Rosewater Glaze
- 2 cups Confectioners Sugar
- 3-4 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 1/4 tsp Rosewater
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Food Processor
Instructions
Making the Pistachio Paste
- Blanche the raw, unsalted pistachios in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Then transfer the pistachios to a bowl of cold water. Using your finger, peel the skins off the pistachios, and then transfer to a towel to dry.
- Add the dry, peeled pistachios to a food processor and process for 5-10 minutes. When done the pistachios should be mushy, and become smooth when smoothed with a spatula.
- Add confectioners sugar, salt, rosewater, cardamom, and cinnamon, to food processor and process until smooth, uniform, and thick.
- With the food processor still running, slowly drizzle in the oil. After all the oil has been added and is well-combined into the mixture, slowly drizzle in the water and continue to process until the mixture is smooth and the consistency of peanut butter.
- Alternatively, you can use 3/4 cup store bought pistachio paste, and add 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cardamom, and 1/4 tsp rosewater to it.
Making the Brioche Dough
- In a measuring cup add warm milk and yeast together. Stir together to combine, then allow to sit until it becomes foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add sugar, egg, egg yolk, melted butter, vanilla, and foamy yeast/milk mixture, to a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Whisk together to combine.
- Add salt and flour to the stand mixer. Using a large wooden spoon, mix together the dough until a shaggy dough forms. Turn the stand mixer onto medium. Beat the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and tacky. It should be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, but not to the sides.
- Transfer dough to a greased large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, then place in a warm area to rise for about an hour, or until the dough is doubled in size.
Filling, Rolling, & Cutting the Cardamom Pistachio Rolls
- Prepare a 9×9” pan or 9” cast iron pan with cooking spray and parchment. Turn the dough out onto a lightly flour work surface, and roll the dough into a 16”x12” rectangle, with the long-side facing you.
- Spread pistachio filling (I find its easiest to work with when its very soft, so I’ll pop it in the microwave here and there for 15 second interval) over top of the dough, leaving about a 1/2” strip along the top. Brush the bare 1” strip with a bit of water. Roll the dough away from you into a log (try to maintain even thickness throughout).
- Using a serrated knife or string, slice the log into 8 equal-sized pieces. Place the rolls cut-side up into the prepared pan, then cover lightly with plastic wrap, and place into a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes.
Baking the Cardamom Pistachio Rolls
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place rolls into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes (internal temperature of 200°F).
Rosewater Glaze
- Add all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and beat together using a whisk or hand mixer until smooth.
- Add rosewater glaze to buns while they’re still warm.
I didn’t have rosewater so I left it out and added some vanilla pasta and lemon zest to the icing. These were AMAZING!
So happy to hear that!!
I think there’s a little mistake in the text when making the dough. You mention molasses and brown sugar. The combination of pistache, cardamom and roses sounds delicious.
Thanks for catching that!