Pistachio Rose Muffins
Tender, golden muffins made with ground pistachios, yogurt and cardamom, perfumed with rose water and finished with a thin rose glaze and chopped pistachios. They are nutty, fragrant and moist, with a Middle Eastern accent.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Wait
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr 32 min
- Makes
- 12 standard muffins
Steps
Before you start
- Take the eggs and yogurt out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so they mix smoothly into the melted butter.
- Use raw or roasted unsalted, shelled pistachios. If yours are salted, reduce the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Rose waters vary in strength. Brands from Middle Eastern groceries are often stronger than those from supermarkets, so start with the lower amount if you are unsure and taste a drop first.
- Total time includes about 25 minutes of cooling before glazing and 15 minutes for the glaze to set.
Heat oven, prep tinOven 375°F / 190°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375°F (190°C).
- Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners, or grease each cup well with butter.
- Measure out all ingredients.
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Ready when: Oven fully preheated and tin lined
Tip: Use an oven thermometer if you can. Ovens that run cool give pale, dense muffins.
Grind the pistachios
- Put the 3/4 cup (95 g) pistachios and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar in a food processor.
- Pulse in 1-second bursts for about 20 to 30 seconds, until the nuts look like coarse sand.
- Chop the 1/4 cup (30 g) topping pistachios by hand and set aside.
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Ready when: Nuts are fine and sandy with a few tiny flecks, not a paste
Tip: The sugar absorbs oil from the nuts. Stop pulsing before the mixture clumps or turns into pistachio butter.
Mix dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground pistachio mixture, remaining sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and salt for about 30 seconds until evenly combined and no clumps of baking powder remain.
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Ready when: Mixture is uniformly pale green-beige
Whisk wet ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth.
- Add the yogurt, milk, melted butter, 1 tablespoon rose water, vanilla and lemon zest.
- Whisk for about 1 minute until smooth and fully blended.
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Ready when: Mixture is smooth with no streaks of egg or visible butter pools
Tip: Let the butter cool for 5 minutes first. Hot butter can scramble the eggs and make the batter greasy.
Combine gently
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Fold with a rubber spatula for about 15 strokes, just until no dry flour remains.
- The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
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Ready when: No dry flour streaks; batter is thick and scoopable
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and makes tough, tunneled muffins. A few small lumps are fine.
Fill and top
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cups, using a heaping 1/3-cup (80 ml) scoop for each so the cups are about three-quarters full.
- Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the tops and press them in lightly.
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Ready when: Cups are evenly filled and rounded on top
Tip: Press the nuts in lightly so they don't slide off after baking.
Bake the muffinsOven 375°F / 190°C
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the tin front to back after 12 minutes.
- The muffins are done when the tops are domed and golden and spring back when pressed gently.
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Ready when: A toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs, and the tops are golden
Tip: Avoid opening the oven in the first 12 minutes, which can deflate the rise.
Cool in the tin
- Set the tin on a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 10 minutes.
- Then lift them out and place them on the rack to cool for another 15 minutes, until barely warm.
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Ready when: Muffins are barely warm to the touch
Tip: Don't leave them in the hot tin longer than 10 minutes, or the bottoms will steam and turn soggy.
Make the glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk the sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon rose water until smooth.
- Add more milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, if needed, until the glaze falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon that slowly disappears.
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Ready when: Glaze is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
Tip: Too thin and the glaze will run off. Add powdered sugar by the teaspoon if it looks watery.
Glaze and garnish
- Spoon or drizzle about 2 teaspoons of glaze over each muffin.
- Scatter the crumbled rose petals over the glaze, if using.
- Let the glaze set for 15 minutes before serving.
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Ready when: Glaze no longer looks wet and does not smear when touched lightly
Tip: Glaze only when the muffins are barely warm. A hot muffin makes the glaze soak in and disappear.
Good to know
Tips
- Grind the pistachios with a little of the sugar so they don't turn into paste.
- Measure rose water carefully. A little goes a long way, and too much tastes soapy.
- Fold the batter just until the flour disappears. Overmixed batter makes tough muffins.
- For taller, bakery-style domes, rest the filled tin for 10 minutes before baking, or bake the first 5 minutes at 425°F (220°C) and then lower to 375°F (190°C).
Make ahead
Bake the muffins up to 1 day ahead and store unglazed in an airtight container at room temperature. Glaze and garnish within an hour of serving. The dry ingredients (including the ground pistachios) can be mixed and kept covered at room temperature up to 1 day ahead.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Refrigerator: up to 5 days, in an airtight container. Freezer: freeze unglazed muffins, wrapped individually, for up to 3 months. To reheat, warm thawed or refrigerated muffins at 325°F (160°C) for 5 to 8 minutes, or microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, then glaze.
Substitutions
- plain whole-milk yogurt → Sour cream or buttermilk. Sour cream works 1:1. Buttermilk makes a slightly thinner batter, so use 3/4 cup (180 ml) and keep the milk the same.
- rose water → Orange blossom water. Use the same amount for a more citrusy floral note. Start with 2 teaspoons if the brand is strong.
- unsalted butter → Neutral oil, such as sunflower or light olive oil. Use 1/2 cup (120 ml). The muffins will be a little moister but less rich in flavor.
- shelled unsalted pistachios → Almond flour or finely ground blanched almonds. Swap 1:1 by weight. The flavor will be milder and the color paler.