Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

There’s nothing better than a freshly baked homemade cookie. And these Pistachio Shortbread Cookies are easy to make and even easier to eat. They are not overly sweet and they go delightfully well with a cuppa be it tea or coffee. This is a family favourite and is another recipe from my husband’s lovely cousin Laleh who incidentally is an orthodontist and surprisingly has a sweet tooth.

What’s so special about these Pistachio Shortbread Cookies? They are very simple, melt in your mouth crumbly buttery shortbreads that is subtly flavoured with Cardamom. Cardamom gives these cookies an exotic touch and warmth and is one spice(among the many that I keep) that I always have on hand. And to make it even more special, it is rolled in chopped pistachios. Buttery and nutty is a combination that is hard to resist.

I do love anything with pistachios in it, and another favourite that you might want to try is Persian Pistachio Crinkle Cookies.

What you need to make Pistachio Shortbread

• Fridge and Pantry – Butter,Caster Sugar, Plain Flour,Rice Flour, Cardamom Powder and 1 Egg. The egg yolk is used in the dough and the beaten egg white is used to adhere the nuts to the dough.
• Pistachio Nuts – Chop the nuts finely with a sharp knife. It does not matter if some of the pieces are chunkier than others.

Easy does it…

It is easier to make the biscuits if you shape them into a log, so then you can roll them in the chopped pistachios. The glue to hold the nuts in place is beaten egg white brushed on the logs.

• Use an electric mixer to cream the caster sugar and soft butter together until pale. Add the egg yolk and mix until incorporated.
• Add the plain and rice flour and cardamom to the butter mixture and mix on low until it forms into a wet sand that clumps together to form into a dough.
• Turn out the dough and roll into a log about 4cm in diameter. You can form two shorter logs if you prefer so it’s easier to handle
• Use a pastry brush to brush the log with beaten egg white. Scatter the pistachios on a plate. Roll the log in the plate of pistachios making sure the log is coated evenly. Wrap the log in a piece of cling wrap and place in the fridge to rest for about an hour.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 150°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
  
• Unwrap the log and slice into 1cm slices. Lay the slices in the baking tray spacing them 2cm apart. Bake for 20 minutes or until pale golden.

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

Recipe by Lola Adele

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Desserts/Sweets

Servings

24

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Melt in your mouth lightly spiced Pistachio Cookies

Ingredients

• 200g Butter, room temperature

• 1/2 cup Caster Sugar

• 1 1/2 cup Plain Flour

• 1/4 cup Rice Flour or Corn Flour

• 1 teaspoon Cardamom,ground

• 60g Pistachio Nuts,shelled and roughly chopped

• 1 Egg, separated

Directions

• In a bowl of an electric mixer, with paddle beaters attached, cream together butter and sugar until pale about 3 minutes.
• Add egg yolk into the bowl and mix again until incorporated into the butter mixture.
• Add plain flour, rice flour and cardamom powder and mix on low until it resembles coarse sand and clumps together to form into a dough.
• Turn out the dough and roll into a log approximately 4cm in diameter. Brush the log with beaten egg white. Scatter the chopped pistachios in a plate. Roll the log in the chopped pistachios, then wrap in cling wrap. Leave the log in the fridge for at least an hour.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 150°C. Line baking tray with baking paper.
  
• Remove the cling wrap and slice the log into 1cm thick, then lay them out in the baking tray.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until pale golden. Remove from the oven and cool in the tray before storing in an airtight container. The shortbreads will be very fragile while warm, so careful in handling them. Makes about 24 cookies.

Notes

• Will keep for a week in an airtight container at room temperature. Australian Measurement Standards used.