At this point, you may be getting used to me telling you about my “fav” holiday gift – The San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market Cookbook. Well this week I am continuing my research on the recipes inside and testing out their splendor. Today’s treats are the Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Glaze from Sara Peterson at Scout Coffee Co in San Luis Obispo. You can bet I’ll be making a stop in there on my next visit to SLO as these cookies were super yummy and I’m guessing I’ll find more goodies at their shop!
These cookies are quite a show stopper and even “I” was able to make them look professional! Seeing that the bakery side of cooking is not my forte, I was a bit worried about pulling it off. After looking at the gorgeous photo in the cookbook showing off their glamour and style, I wasn’t sure if my results would be worthy enough. Much to my surprise, my cookies turned out both delicious and beautiful too!
In making the recipe, I found that there were a few tips to make the process a bit easier. First of all, I let the dough chill for a longer period to make it a bit easier to work with. When rolling it out, I found the best way to work with a sticky dough was to sandwich it in between two sheets of parchment (I love King Arthur Flour half-sheet baking parchment paper and you can find it in my Amazon aStore on my site:) and then roll it out. Using a little flour on the cookie cutter helps and having it on the parchment makes it easy to peel off. Before baking, I refrigerate the cut cookies to ensure that they don’t spread too much when baking. After they are done, I remove them with the parchment to a cooling rack.
They were absolutely delish. Perfect to serve with a cup of tea in the afternoon or as I served them; for dessert with a glass of my friend Mindy’s, homemade Limoncello!
Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Glaze
Yield – 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup ground pistachios
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- coarsely ground pistachios
Directions
- In a standup mixer, cream the butter. Add sugar and continue mixing until pillowy and fluffy. Add salt, vanilla and lemon zest; mix for 30 seconds. Combine the flour and ground pistachios in a small bowl. Mix into the standup mixer in 2 additions until just combined – don’t over mix. Turn shortbread dough onto a work surface, pat it into a disk, wrap and place in fridge to chill for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it in half. Rewrap one piece and place back in the refrigerator. Lay a piece of parchment on the counter and top with the remaining dough. Flatten the dough lightly with your hand and cover it with another piece of parchment. Roll the dough out to your liking: 1/4″ thickness will result in crispy cookies, 1/2″ thickness will result in thicker/less crispy cookies. Cut shortbread using a cookie cutter of your choice. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet pans. After you fill the first sheet with cookies, place it in the refrigerator while you fill the 2nd sheet. Once the second sheet is done, swap out the cooled sheet and put that one in the oven while cooling the 2nd sheet. Continue this process, spacing out your timing, until you have cut and baked all of the cookies. Bake for approximately 22 minutes checking at 15 to test for doneness. Remove cookies with parchment to a cooling rack to cook completely before proceeding with glaze.
- Add powdered sugar to a bowl, whisk in lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth. Use an offset spatula to spread glaze, sprinkle with pistachios and let sit for a few minutes to set.
- Can be stored in airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
(click here) for printable recipe