LEMON PISTACHIO COOKIES

These Lemon Pistachio Cookies are soft and tender, topped with a sweet lemon glaze AND homemade pistachio cream that perfectly complements the salty roasted pistachios. Ideal for holiday baking or any occasion, this recipe is a must-try.

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggs at room temperature

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• zest of 2 lemons about 2 tablespoon lemon zest

• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract

• 7 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ cup roasted salted pistachios (no shell), ground

• ¼ teaspoon salt

Lemon Icing:

• 1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar

• 4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 3 teaspoon whole milk

Homemade Pistachio Cream:

• 1 heaped cup shelled pistachios

• 3/4 cup whole milk

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 3.5 oz white chocolate

• 1 tbsp powdered sugar

TO MAKE

1. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add ground pistachios and salt and whisk to blend evenly.

2. Combine eggs, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer for about 3 minutes until pale and thick. The mixture should nearly triple in volume. Add lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts and mix to combine. Add the melted butter and mix to combine.

3. Add flour mixture to the egg mixture a little at a time and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, then switch to a spatula and continue gently mixing by hand until evenly combined without over-mixing the dough. The dough will be quite soft. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until the dough firms up and becomes stiff.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

5. Use a 1 oz cookie scoop to portion dough and pat your hands with powdered sugar to roll into balls. The dough will be sticky. Place dough balls onto prepared baking sheets spacing them 2 inches apart and bake for 13-15 minutes until golden on the bottom and lightly golden around the edges.

6. Make the lemon glaze: Combine icing sugar with lemon juice and milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. You should have a thick, white opaque glaze that flows but is not too runny. Add another teaspoon of lemon juice if needed. Dip each cookie in the glaze, or spoon it over top. Sprinkle on your choice of sprinkles or additional ground pistachios before the icing sets, then let the icing set and dry completely before storing.

7. Make the pistachio cream: Add the pistachios to a food processor with only 1/4 cup of the milk and 1 tbsp of powdered sugar. Blitz for around 5 minutes until the pistachios turn into a smooth paste. You’ll need to stop the processor 3-4 times to scrape down the sides. You’ll notice the pistachio turn into crumbs first then it should form into a ball when it’s reached the paste stage. Put the remaining milk, butter and white chocolate in a clean saucepan and heat on a low heat until melted, set aside. Transfer the pistachio paste to a blender and pour in the white chocolate mixture. Blitz until extra smooth and creamy. Spoon onto cookies and top with additional pistachios if desired.