Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies ~ a classic buttery shortbread slice and bake cookie loaded with fresh pistachios!

I’m taking advantage of the surplus of nuts in the stores during the holidays to make lots of these buttery pistachio shortbread cookies loaded with freshly shelled nuts and a hint of vanilla.  I used unsalted roasted pistachios packaged still in the shell, they’re fresher that way, and I used enough of them so that you can actually taste the pistachio flavor.  Believe it or not, you can actually buy real PISTACHIO EXTRACT for a more pronounced taste, and someday I may try that, but for me the vanilla and the nuts themselves make for a really subtle and unusual cookie.  Depending on how thick you slice them, and precisely how long you cook them, they will either be crispy or buttery, it’s your call.

Slice and bake cookies never turn out quite as perfectly round as roll out cookies, but they have a nicer texture, I think.  Make sure the dough is nice and cold, and use a sharp, serrated knife, I used a bread knife, and a gentle sawing motion to slice through the dough cleanly.  If you want to insure that the log of dough stays round while it chills, you can take a tube from an empty paper towel roll and cut it open lengthwise.  Then set the log of dough inside and it will keep it shape.  You can also set the dough on a bed of uncooked rice to support it in the refrigerator.

I’m all about the easy cookie these days.  I have lots of more complicated recipes on my to-do list, but as the days before Christmas dwindle, I have to pare things down to the essentials.  This is a rustic cookie you can really sink your teeth into, and about as easy as it gets…

A little stack of these cookies makes the perfect offering if you’re going visiting, or if people show up on your doorstep unexpectedly.  I keep a whole lineup of shortbread dough in the freezer during the weeks leading up to Christmas and I can’t tell you how useful they are.  Even after it’s baked, shortbread lasts a long time without going stale, so it’s really a holiday workhorse.  I have lots of other shortbread cookie recipes on the blog, so check them out for more inspiration.

I use decorative take out style boxes for small cookie gifts, not only because they look great, but they’re sturdy so you don’t have to worry about crushing all your hard work.  They’re small enough that you can make a nice gift out of just a few cookies.   You can find them all over the place, mine are from Cost Plus.