Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

It’s beginning to look a lot like cookies.  Buttery pistachio ones.

Just trying to make Santa happy.  Can you imagine what he might bring you if you left these out for him by the chimney alongside a nice glass of milk?  Can you?

You might get tickets to see the new Alvin & the Chipmunks movie!  A pretty new cake stand!  Maybe you’d get fancy new yoga pants!  A Dorie Greenspan baking book!  Membership to Bedford Cheese Shop’s cheese of the month club!  Or dinner at The French Laundry!  A safe yet exciting ride in a hot air balloon!  Over Tuscany!

Or maybe you’d just get to eat leftover cookies.  That’d be okay too.

But, you know, Tuscany.  Or Greece.  Or maybe Paris.

Or else just the cookies.  Fine.  Cookies.

But I’m eating these with a side of two percent (!) milk.  Take that, Paris.

Merry merry!

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped roasted pistachios

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, flour and salt, until dough starts to come together.  Add the pistachios and mix to combine; the dough will be crumbly but should come together in one large ball.

Divide dough into two pieces, and roll each piece tightly inside a sheet of parchment paper, forming two logs, each about 1 1/2-inches in diameter.  Chill the logs in the refrigerator until firm, at least 30 minutes, and up to two days.  (Logs can also be stored in the freezer and sliced/baked months later).

Once properly chilled, remove a log of dough from the fridge/freezer and slice into 1/2-inch rounds.  Place rounds on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake 15-20 minutes, until firm and slightly browned at the edges.  Cool on a wire rack before enjoying with a tall glass of cold milk.

Makes about 20 – 25 cookies.