Description
Delight in these traditional Christmas pistachio cookies enhanced with rich white chocolate. Soft butter and icing sugar create a light base dough studded with crunchy pistachios and sweet chocolate bits. Baked to golden perfection, these festive cookies offer a perfect balance of buttery softness and nutty texture, making them an irresistible treat during the holiday season.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 250g soft butter
- 150g icing sugar
- 300g wheat flour (type 405)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or seeds from one vanilla bean
Add-ins
- 150g chopped pistachios (raw, unsalted)
- 100g white chocolate (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius for conventional top/bottom heat or 150 degrees Celsius if using a fan-assisted oven to ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a wooden spoon or spatula, cream the softened butter and icing sugar together for about two minutes until the mixture lightens in color and becomes fluffy.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Stir in the wheat flour, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract gently until the flour is just incorporated. The dough should remain slightly crumbly to maintain texture.
- Incorporate Pistachios and Chocolate: Carefully fold the chopped pistachios and white chocolate pieces into the dough ensuring even distribution.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough bowl with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, ideally 1 hour, to firm up for easier handling.
- Shape Cookies: Divide the chilled dough into small pieces weighing about 15-20 grams each. Roll into balls and gently flatten them. Arrange the cookies spaced apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges develop a light golden color.
- Cool: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes on the hot sheet before transferring them to a wire rack or plate to cool completely.
Notes
- Using soft butter helps to achieve a creamy dough that mixes well.
- Chilling the dough is important to prevent spreading and helps cookies hold their shape during baking.
- For a deeper vanilla flavor, use seeds from a vanilla bean rather than extract.
- Ensure pistachios are raw and unsalted to keep flavors balanced and not too salty.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness for up to one week.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: European
Keywords: Christmas cookies, pistachio cookies, white chocolate cookies, holiday baking, festive cookies, nutty cookies
