This recipe for pistachio and cardamom shortbread cookies has been tossing around my head for months. I could imagine what they would taste like: buttery-sweet shortbread with a hint of cardamom, encased with a ring of salted pistachio.
Cardamom was a little difficult to track down. My grocery store didn’t carry it in the spice section, so I ended up purchasing a bottle of organic ground cardamom on Amazon.
I used salted pistachios in this recipe, because I prefer a little salt in my sweets. It brings out the buttery taste of the shortbread and plays up the nutty pistachio crust. Use unsalted pistachios if you want a less savory version.
These cookies were fun to make. The dough is easy to work with and once you roll it up in plastic wrap and allow it to chill, cutting the cookies is a snap. To get that beautiful pistachio crust, the chilled dough log is rolled back and forth in crushed pistachios right before slicing the cookies and baking them. A single whole pistachio pressed into the center puts them over the top.
Pistachio Cardamom Shortbread Cookies
As I was photographing the cookies, my 15-month-old snuck his little hand into the shot. At first, I pushed his little grabby fingers away, but eventually let him steal a cookie. How could I not? The resulting image melts my heart. I just love those fat little fingers!
My whole family loved this recipe and I hope you do too. The cookies aren’t too sweet, and they are full of sweet nutty flavor. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Method
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream the butter until light in color and smooth. Add the vanilla bean seeds, orange zest, salt and cardamom.
Sift together the powdered sugar and flour. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until it comes together into a dough. Form into a log about 2 inches thick and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/ 180 degrees C.
Unwrap the cookie log and allow to soften for 5-10 minutes, enough so the outside becomes slightly tacky. Roll the log in the chopped pistachios, pressing down softly so there is a thick coating. Slice into 1/4-inch pieces and place on a cookie sheet 1-inch apart. Press a whole pistachio into the middle of each cookie.
Bake for 10-20 minutes until the edges are very slightly brown, rotating the pan halfway through.
http://loveandduckfat.com/pistachio-cardamom-shortbread-cookies/
Recipe adapted from Saffron and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies by Yossy Arefi
The Thanksgiving countdown is upon us and I’m completely unprepared. I’m not cooking Thanksgiving this year, because we will be visiting family, but it’s my first year with a food blog. What does that mean? Apparently, I need to be posting gorgeous, exciting new Thanksgiving recipes like mad. I’m looking at my fellow bloggers (those ones with much more experienced than me) and they are clearly on a mission. A well planned out mission.
I don’t have one of those, so I’m left feeling a little inadequate with my sad little banana & chocolate breakfast cookies. They don’t have pumpkin, cranberries or nutmeg (but, please, feel free to add those ingredients). These cookies are filled with healthy bits that taste like not-healthy bits and they are meant to be eaten on any regular day. Filled with banana, whole wheat, flax meal, chia seeds, nuts and chocolate chips, they have a soft, cake-like texture and are full surprises in each bite. I make these differently every time. Sometimes I add almond butter, protein powder, raisins or dried cherries. Other times, I pack them with lots of dark chocolate chips. That’s the beauty of this recipe. It’s forgiving. You get about 30 cookies, and they freeze well. Make a bunch and you have breakfast cookies to take with you to work, stick in the kid’s lunches or just enjoy for dessert.
I promise next year to post a bazillion holiday recipes. In a well-thought out fashion. I’ll start planning now. For now, we eat cookies.
Banana & chocolate breakfast cookies
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 350° F/ 180° C
In a small mixing bowl, combine flax meal and water. Set aside.
Mash the bananas with a fork until they are smooth. Add the nut butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Stir until combined.
Add the whole wheat flour, flax meal, baking soda, chia seeds and salt. Stir until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds and/or dried fruit.
Drop by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes. The bottom of the cookie should be very lightly browned on the bottom.
This addicting-ly delicious duck fat recipe with roasted cashews and rosemary can be whipped up in just a few minutes. The duck fat adds a very subtle flavor, making the already sweet and meaty cashew just a tad more savory. These aren’t greasy at all, and are seasoned with a touch brown sugar, honey (or maple syrup) and cayenne pepper. Guaranteed, these nuts will go quickly, whether you tell everyone they were roasted in duck fat or not.
I have a tub of duck fat in the refrigerator, leftovers from a duck I cooked a few weeks ago. You can get about a cup of the precious stuff from one duck. If you don’t plan to roast a duck, you can buy duck fat in some specialty markets. I usually use it for roasting potatoes, but these duck fat roasted nuts are a great alternative. They would be just as good with raw pecans, pistachios, or almonds. Serve them warm. You’ll love the pungent rosemary scent perfuming the air.
Duck fat recipe | Roasted cashews with rosemary
Ingredients
Method
In a medium bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, salt, honey or maple syrup and duck fat. Heat in the microwave for 30-40 seconds until the duck fat is just melted, and stir to combine. Add the cashews to the liquid mixture and stir until the nuts are completely coated.
Arrange the nuts in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Roast for 5 minutes. Remove and stir. Roast for an additional 5-6 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss with more salt or sugar if you like. Serve warm.
