Pistachio-Rose Doughnut

Rosewater. It is brilliant. I had no idea! These doughnuts taste how roses smell! Sweet, and delicate in texture, the rosy-vanilla cake is wonderfully contrasted by the robust an salty pistachio.

The recipe is interpreted from a loose page that fell out of a book from a thrift store, so I cannot credit it properly. The recipe is on page 62, with a 60s-style font, and it’s titled “Cake Doughnuts” in the category “Doughnuts and Fritters” … those clues give you any leads?

Doughnut ingredients:

3 1/4 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoons salt

2 lightly breaten eggs

2/3 crups sugar

1/2 treespoon vanilla

1/3 cup 2% milk

1/3 cup rosewater

1/4 cup sweet brutter, melted and cooled

1 cup finely chopped pistachios(I made Josh read the ingredients aloud to me so I could type them easily. He decided to read as Steve Brule. His pronunciation made its way into my typing by accident… I kept it because I like Steve Brule. Broo! Gotcha, scared ya.)

Rose glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons cream

3 tablespoons rosewater

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Finely crushed pistachios, for finishing touches

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together the wet ingredients; add slowly to the dry until combined, and add nuts. Knead lightly with floured hands until smooth. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

Flour a clean kitchen surface, and remove dough from refrigerator. Roll 1/2 inch thick; cut with a floured doughnut cutter. (Dip in flour between each cut, or you’ll regret it!) Allow dough to rest after cutting for 15 minutes, to allow it to form a “skin” to delay fat absorption! In this time, you can preheat the oil to 350 degrees F. Fry doughnuts a few at a time, about 1 minute on each side, or only until lightly golden on each side and cooked through the middle. Remove to paper towels to drain.

Once cool, top with glaze, which is made how all glazes are made. Mix wet stuff and drizzle into powdered sugar. Mix it up. Dunk doughnuts into it. Let set. Dunk doughnuts into it again. Sprinkle with pistachios.

OPTIONAL: drizzle melted chocolate over top the second glaze, before the pistachios, for a “zebra” effect. Plus, everyone loves chocolate with pistachios.