Pistachio Shortbread
These crunchy, pistachio-topped cookies are a lovely, pastel shade
of green - perfect for your "green theme" gathering, or St. Pat's Day, of course.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant pistachio pudding mix, Jell-O preferred for best color
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pistachio flavor, optional
- 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2/3 cup shelled, finely chopped pistachio nuts, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease two round 8" or
9" cake pans. If you worry about the shortbread possibly sticking
in your particular pans, line them with parchment, and grease the parchment.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, pistachio
pudding mix, sugar, salt, and pistachio flavor, then beat in
the flour. The mixture may seem a little dry at first; keep
beating till it comes together. If it absolutely won't come
together, dribble in up to 1 tablespoon of water, until it does.
This is a stiff dough.
- Divide the dough in half. Press each half into one of the
prepared pans, smoothing the surface with your fingers, or with a mini rolling pin.
- Use a fork to prick the dough all over; this allows any steam
to escape, and prevents the shortbread from bubbling as it bakes.
Divide the chopped pistachios between the two pans, spreading
them evenly and gently pressing them down onto the surface of
the dough.
- Bake the shortbread until it's a deep golden brown around
the edges, about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Remove the pans from the oven, and immediately turn each
shortbread round out onto a clean work surface.
- Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut each round into 12
wedges. (Do this while the shortbread is still warm; if you wait until it's cool, it won't cut easily.) Transfer
the shortbread wedges to a rack to cool.
Yield: 2 dozen shortbread wedges
Recipe and photo used with permission from: King Arthur Flour