Cherry-Pistachio Cookies
By Yankee Magazine|Nov 09 2004|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanYield:
about 4 dozen cookiesIngredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, separated
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
1 8-ounce container candied red cherries, roughly chopped
1/3 cup coarse or sanding sugar
Instructions
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Beat in egg yolk; mix well. Add flour and pistachios; blend on low speed until just combined. Remove dough from mixer and, with a strong spoon or your hands, mix in cherries. Divide dough in half and roll each piece into a log about 12 inches long; wrap in plastic and chill overnight.
Adjust the oven rack to the center shelf and preheat to 350°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or grease lightly); set aside. Pour coarse sugar onto a piece of waxed paper or aluminum foil. Lightly brush egg white over the surface of the log; press and roll log into sugar; transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice log in 1/2-inch slices; transfer to cookie sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container or freeze.
I just made these for our community cookie exchange and everyone loved them. They were easy to make, but since I couldn’t find coarse or sanding sugar I used granulated and it seemed to work out fine. A delicious butter cookie, very pretty with red and green accents.
Anne from CT
Even with the dreaded fruitcake style cherries this is a great cookie! All who tasted it wanted the recipe.
These are incredibly good cookies. Although the dough seems to fall apart when preparing, they do roll and cut quite easily. I, like another of your readers, tried substituting cranberries and added almonds. Mmmmm.
I made these cookies in Christmas 2004 when the recipe was first published, as well as this Christmas 2008. The cookies have a different, warm, nutty flavor enhanced by the pistachios. The candied cherries are a great addition and don’t make it overly sweet. I used both green and red candied cherries, and chopped the pistachio small. I used green and red sanding sugars to roll the logs in, then cut the logs into cookies using a sharp knife. They were festive as well as delicious.
I make this recipe every year for our cookie swap, but I substitute dried cherries for the too sweet candied cherries.
I’ve made these twice, both times with dried cherries-this time I opted to chill for 30 minutes in the freezer, rather than an overnight chill in the fridge.
I love them! My neighbors do too, so this will be made and shipped home for the holidays this year.