Honeyed Pistachio Cookies
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup organic granulated cane sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose or whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups finely chopped shelled unsalted pistachios
1/3 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. orange blossom honey (avail.@ Olio), divided
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla together with an electric handheld mixer until creamy. Add the flour and, with a pastry blender or 2 butter knives, combine the mixture until it looks crumbly. Stir in the pistachios. Add the yogurt. Mix with your fingertips until dough is formed. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until blended, about 1 minute. Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Break off small chunks of dough and roll between your hands to form 1 1/2-inch balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheets and flatten with the back of a fork. Take half the honey and brush the cookies generously with it, reserving any that’s left over. Bake the cookies on a middle rack in the oven for 15 minutes or until pale golden. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack on top of a sheet of wax paper. While the cookies are still hot, quickly brush them with the remaining honey, adding more as the cookies absorb until they won’t take any more. Any drips will be caught on the wax paper for easy cleanup. Return any leftover honey to the jar. Cool before serving or store in an airtight tin.
Yield: 32 cookies
*Tip: To make the honey easier to handle to handle, stand the jar in a bowl of hot water before measuring it out. It will make the honey thinner and it will brush onto the cookies more smoothly
**Recipe courtesy of “Cook for Your Life” cookbook. Available at Olio Olive Oils & Balsamics.