Pistachio Sugar Cookies
Cut-out sugar cookies with pistachios
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- cookie cutter (approximately 2.75 to 3 inches)
- mixer
- baking sheets
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons + 1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- a few drops of green food coloring (optional)
- 3 tablespoons (or more) butter, melted
- ¼ cup coarse ground sugar
Instructions
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Then, stir in 6 tablespoons of pistachios and mix well.
- In a mixing bowl, beat 1 cup of butter with sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts until creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and mix until just combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture, stirring to combine. Add the remaining flour mixture and stir until well mixed. If using food coloring to tint the dough green, add it now and mix to combine.
- With a spatula, shape the dough into a flattened disk, then wrap it in plastic cling wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until the dough is firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone mat.
- Cut the chilled dough into 3 pieces. Rewrap 2 pieces and return them to the refrigerator. Flour a work surface and also the top of the cookie dough. If using a wooden rolling pin, dust it with flour. (Alternatively, place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and then roll it.) Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch or 3-inch cookie cutter to cut out cookies.
- Reshape and re-roll any leftover dough after you cut out the first cookies. If the leftover dough becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate it for later use. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
- Repeat the process with the second piece of chilled dough. Finally, use the last piece of dough. If you have any leftover dough from earlier, add it to this last piece.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Then, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar and the leftover chopped pistachios. Move them to a cooling rack. Leftover cookies can be frozen.
Notes
Cookie-Cutter Sources
You can find a 4-leaf clover cookie-cutter source by clicking here or here. The cutter in the photos is approximately 2.75 to 3 inches.Chilling the Dough
To hasten the cooling of the cookie dough, place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. If the cookie dough is chilled for too long, it can become difficult to roll out. If this happens, let it sit outside the refrigerator until it softens and is easier to roll.Brushing Cookies with Butter
Always add the brushed butter after baking the cookies. Melted butter does not work well if added before the cookies bake because the dough chills it, and the toppings do not stick well. Brush the butter on only 2-3 cookies at a time so the cookies do not absorb the butter before you finish sprinkling on the sugar and pistachios.Yield
If you roll the dough 1/4-inch thick, this recipe will yield around 60 cookies. For extra-thin, crispy cookies, roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness to make more than 60 cookies.Nutrition
Calories: 83kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 69mgPotassium: 25mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 126IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 0.4mg
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