TOASTED PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD
Shortbread is one of the simplest, most rewarding cookies you can make. Striking a perfect balance between sweet and salty, a good shortbread is toasty, crumbly, and feels a bit like a warm hug. The toasted pistachios in this recipe give the shortbread a beautiful smell and savory crunch. Enjoy with tea, coffee, or by themselves.
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Total time: 40 minutes
Active time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 15 minutes
Makes about 20 cookies
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Ingredients:
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2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup pistachios
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
Flakey sea salt for sprinkling
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Instructions:
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1.) Preheat oven to 325° F.
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2.) In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt and stir briefly to combine.
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3.) Chop pistachios into pieces a bit smaller than the size of chocolate chips. In the preheated oven or a toaster oven, toast chopped pistachios for about 4-5 minutes, or until pistachios are fragrant and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
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4.) While pistachios cool, cut butter into small cubes and toss into dry ingredients. Using a fork or pastry cutter, work butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly dough starts to come together.
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5.) Add the toasted, cooled pistachios to the bowl and gently distribute, working dough into a crumbly ball. Try to avoid overworking, as we don't want the butter in the dough to get too soft!
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6.) Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and press into a layer roughly 1/3" high. Using the rim of a small juice glass or cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds and transfer to an unlined baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a few flakes of sea salt.
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7.) Transfer sheet to the fridge for about 5 minutes, just to allow dough to firm up slightly.
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8.) Bake cookies in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until shortbread are golden brown on the edges but still relatively pale across the tops.
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9.) Remove from oven and let cool completely before eating; these cookies will be at their best texture when room temperature. They can be stored in tupperware and be kept at room temp for up to a week.