I’m a big fan of breakfasts that come together the night before. For this cardamom rose chia pudding, you blend together the ingredients at night before you go to bed, pour them into a glass or jar, seal the top, and then you have breakfast in the morning.

The part of this pudding that did not come together quickly was the topping, i.e., the dried rose petals. I’ve been looking for dried, edible rose petals for forever but I haven’t had any luck finding them. I thought about ordering them on Amazon but that seemed ill-advised. Plus, the prices they were quoting were ridiculous.

Saturday I decided to go to Maplewood, a cute little town in St. Louis, to find the rose petals. There are a few spice and specialty grocery stores there and I thought that one would carry them.

As it turns out, none of them did. One of the shop owners told me to go to Cheryl’s Herbs, which is down the street from Maplewood’s commercial strip. I stopped by as a last resort and I was rewarded with a bag of edible, dried rose petals.

The shop owner didn’t seem to think that I’d want to pay $5 for an ounce of dried rose petals. She couldn’t have been more wrong. By the end of this experience I would have been willing to pay $10. Five dollars seemed like a bargain.

ANYWAY. You don’t *need* the dried rose petals for this cardamom rose chia pudding, but they’re a nice touch. They look pretty on top of the pudding, they add even more rose flavor, they’re fragrant, and they pair well with the chopped pistachios. Plus, you only need a few so you can save the rest of the dried petals for other desserts. I’m thinking about making a chocolate cake or a pistachio rosewater cake this week, both of which have dried rose petals on top as a garnish.

When you’re looking for the petals, make sure you find ones that are edible. That might seem intuitive but a lot of places will sell dried petals that are only suitable for potpourri or decoration.

Here’s a song to get you started on your cardamom rose chia pudding journey. It’s featured in one of my favorite French movies, “Jean de Florette.”

Cardamom Rose Chia Pudding (makes one serving)

Ingredients

1 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup (or to taste)
1/4 tsp rosewater
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
edible rose petals and chopped pistachios for serving

Directions

Blend the coconut milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, rosewater, cardamom, and vanilla extract in a blender on high until combined, about 30 seconds. Pour into a Mason jar or a tall glass and seal or cover tightly with tinfoil or plastic wrap. Allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, remove the pudding from the refrigerator and top with edible rose petals and chopped pistachios. Enjoy!