It's the week before Christmas...and I'm baking up a storm. If you've ready my cookbook, A Perfect 10, you have seen my recipe for Salted Sugar Cookies I've been making since I was a toddler. Yes, I made those today as well. But I thought I'd try something new, and fiddled with a recipe for Lemon Pistachio Cookies - and they turned out really good! Like a crunch-ish sugar cookie, these cookies are baked with olive oil as a secret ingredient, and with a lemon frosting decorated with green pistachios and red dried cranberries, they're a great addition to your holiday table.
Combine the Dry Ingredients: Start by pulverizing 1/3 cup of pistachios in a food processor. Once finely ground, in a mixing bowl, combine with 2 cups flour, and 1/2 teaspoon each of baking soda and salt. Combine well, and set aside.
Mix Up Your Wet Ingredients: Take 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature, and beat with a stand mixer until creamy. Add 3/4 cups of sugar, and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Once well combined, add one egg, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and one teaspoon of vanilla. Mix well. Add in flour mixture, and combine to make your cookie dough. Take the dough, press into a large ball, cover with plastic wrap, and throw in the fridge for at least an hour.
Make Your Cookies: Set your oven at 350. Place parchment paper on two cookie sheets. Take your dough and make little golf balls, and place on the cookie sheet. Gently press down with the bottom of a small drinking glass, dipping into sugar in-between cookies. Bake for about 12 minutes, until just slightly browned on the edges. Let cool completely.
Make Your Frosting: In a small mixing bowl, stir together 1 cup of powdered sugar and the grated zest of a lemon. Whisk in a tablespoon of lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream. The results should a slightly runny glaze. Glaze each cookies, and sprinkle a few chopped pistachios and dried cranberries on each one.
Feliz Navidad!
