Food & Drink

Persian Dessert Recipes You'll Want To Learn Right Now

You won't even miss the chocolate.

Taste Senior Editor, HuffPost

It’s no secret that we love dessert here at HuffPost Taste ― we are always finding excuses to get more into our lives. But there’s an entire nation producing mouth-watering desserts that we haven’t fully experienced yet. We’re talking about the desserts coming out of Iran, and it’s about time we’ve explored these sweets.

Iran makes some of the best desserts out there ― they rival even the finest Parisian patisseries. They come flavored with saffron, rosewater, pistachio, honey and more delicious flavors we love.

According to Naomi Duguid’s Taste Of Persia, Iranians eat sweets often as a break in the day with tea or coffee, rather than at the end of a meal. And believe us when we say that you will want to take a break with all of these desserts. Take a look for yourself.

Here are seven of our favorite Iranian desserts:

1
Bamieh (Persian Doughnuts With Saffron And Rose Water)
Little Ferarro Kitchen
Bamieh are pieces of syrup-soaked fried dough. They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside -- and fragrant thanks to the rosewater- and saffron-infused syrup.

Get the Persian Doughnuts with Saffron and Rose Water recipe from Little Ferarro Kitchen
2
Faloodeh (Rosewater And Lime Noodle Sorbet)
Maman's Kitchen
According to Louisa Shafia, author of The New Persian Kitchen, Faloodeh is one of the earliest known frozen desserts, dating back to 400 BCE. Faloodeh is essentially a noodle sorbet. It is made with cooked vermicelli noodles and a sugar-sweetened frozen syrup that's often spiked with sour flavors like lime or cherry. It is addictively chewy.

Get the Rosewater And Lime Noodle Sorbet recipe from Maman's Kitchen
3
Koloocheh
Fig and Quince
Koloocheh at its most basic is a cross between a fig Newton and German hamantaschen. Its texture and flavor vary depending not only on the region of Iran from which they hail, but also on the origin of the recipe that was handed down. One thing that remains consistent is that koloocheh are a special treat that often accompany celebrations and holidays.

Get the Koloocheh recipe from Fig and Quince
4
Kachi (Persian Halva Pudding)
Unicorns in the Kitchen
Chocolate pudding has got nothing on this saffron-infused dessert.

Get the Kachi (Persian Halva Pudding) recipe from Unicorns in the Kitchen
5
Ranginak (Date And Walnut Pie)
Bottom Of The Pot
This is a beauty of a dessert. Dates are stuffed with toasted walnuts. They're then bathed in a burnt butter and flour mixture before being topped with cinnamon, cardamom and pistachios. Yum.

Get the Ranginak (Date And Walnut Pie) recipe from Bottom of the Pot
6
Sholeh Zard (Persian Saffron Rice Pudding)
Family Spice
If you like rice pudding, you're going to love sholeh zard. Not only is it flavored with saffron and rosewater, but it's decorated with cinnamon, almonds and pistachios, too.

Get the Sholeh Zard (Persian Saffron Rice Pudding) recipe from Family Spice
7
Bastani (Persian Saffron Ice Cream)
Food52
Saffron gives this Iranian ice cream an earthy flavor, the rosewater lends a hint of floral and the pistachios give it a wonderful crunch.

Get the Persian Saffron Ice Cream recipe from Bastani/Food52
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