Lemon Pistachio Cookies

I had a small amount of pistachios left so I went looking for recipes that called for a small quantity. At first, I had found a bar cookie recipe that I was going to make, but I had made a lot of bar cookies lately so I looked at what else I had saved. I came across this recipe, which called for a small amount of pistachios. The original recipe called for orange juice and zest, but I used the lemon I had on hand (that also needed to be used).

This recipe was called a holiday cookie, and I find that puzzling. Some cookies are clearly for the holidays: gingerbread people, eggnog cookies, and peppermint creations. But a pistachio citrus cookie? That doesn’t seem quite right to me. I think that many people don’t bake much at all, therefore almost any cookie they make is a holiday cookie as that’s the only time they bake cookies. I bake all the time, so I don’t follow those same parameters.

This is a refrigerator cookie, which I love to make as each part of the recipe is quick. I made the dough and got it chilling. The original recipe suggested chilling overnight, but my cookies were very firm after a few hours. I sliced and baked them- no issue at all. I glazed the cookies by dunking the tops of the cookies in glaze, and that was very efficient. I sprinkled the pistachios on the cookies after icing 6 of them- otherwise the glaze sets to much and the nuts don’t stick. These cookies have the bright zing of lemon paired with a crumbly/crunchy cookie texture, which can’t be beat!

Lemon Pistachio Cookies
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup pistachios, finely chopped

2-1/4 cups powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2-3 tablespoons milk
Additional chopped pistachios

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. Add the egg, lemon zest and vanilla and stir to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour and cornstarch. Stop the mixer, then add the chopped pistachios, and mix just until the dough comes together.

Divide the dough in halves. Shape each half into a log, about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 4 hours, until very firm.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap. Cut the dough into 1/4-1/3” slices. Place on the prepared baking sheets and reshape the cookies to be round if needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until they begin to brown on the bottom. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Ice the cookies when they are cool.

Once the cookies are cool, make the icing: in a medium bowl combine the powdered sugar, juice of a lemon, and 1 tablespoon milk. Whisk until an icing forms, adding more milk if required, to achieve a spreading consistency. Glaze each cookie and then sprinkle with additional chopped pistachios.

Recipe from Lorraine Caland via Taste of Home