Pistachio Lemon And Vanilla Shortbread Food

PISTACHIO, LEMON, AND VANILLA SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Combine all purpose flour, sugar, and semolina flour in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter, lemon peel, and vanilla. Using on/off turns, blend until coarse meal forms. Turn dough out into bowl. Add nuts and knead gently to combine. Press dough evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Using fork, pierce dough all over.
• Bake shortbread until pale brown in center and golden at edges, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Cut lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 6 squares. Cool completely in pan. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with foil; store at room temperature.)
• *Semolina flour, often labeled "pasta flour," is available at specialty foods stores, Italian markets, and some supermarkets.

PISTACHIO ORANGE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat the butter and sugar until combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and orange zest and beat until combined. Beat in the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the pistachios and beat just until evenly distributed.
• Tip the dough into the prepared pan and press it into an even layer. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle the top of the dough with sanding sugar and bake on a rimmed baking sheet until the shortbread is golden brown and set, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet holding the tart pan to a rack to cool for a few minutes. While the dough is still warm, remove the pan edges and cut the cookie into wedges. Let cool completely.
• Carefully separate the wedges and set them on a work surface. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Let stand at room temperature until the chocolate has set, about 1 hour.

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl whisk the flour with the salt and cinnamon.
• In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth (about 1 - 2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until smooth and creamy (about 3 minutes). Beat in the zest and vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Fold in the chopped pistachios and dried cranberries. (Make sure that the nuts and cranberries are evenly distributed throughout the dough.).
• Divide the dough in half. Place each half of dough on the center of a 14 inch (35 cm) length of parchment or wax paper (plastic wrap will work too). Smooth and shape the dough into an evenly shaped rectangle that is about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Then thoroughly wrap the shaped logs in the parchment or wax paper, twists the ends of the paper to seal the logs, and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours, or up to three days. (The logs can also be frozen for about two months. If freezing, it is best to defrost the logs in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) with the rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using a thin bladed knife, slice the logs into ¼ to ½ inch (.5 to 1 cm) thick cookies. If dough is too hard to slice you may need to let the log set our for 5 minutes. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
• Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes, or until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Check at 12 minutes - the type of pan you use can really make a big difference in cooking time.
• Note. The original recipe calls for unsalted butter, I prefer my shortbread with salted butter, so try it either way.

PISTACHIO-ROSE SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat powdered sugar and butter in a large bowl until aerated and pale, about 3 minutes. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.) Scrape down sides of bowl, then beat 2 minutes more. Reduce mixer speed to medium, add egg, and beat until well incorporated. Add tea, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until combined, about 30 seconds more.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in dry ingredients, followed by pistachios. Stir dough a few times with a spatula, making sure to get to bottom of bowl.
• Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and divide into quarters. Working one quarter at a time, place dough on a sheet of parchment paper and pat with your hands into a log, then pull the parchment up around the log and, using the parchment to help contain the dough, press it firmly against your work surface, rotating and squaring off edges until you have a long 1"-thick rectangle. Wrap parchment-wrapped dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours.
• Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap dough and let sit at room temperature 10-15 minutes.
• Pulverize raspberries into a fine powder in a food processor or spice mill. Transfer to a plate and mix in sanding sugar.
• Roll dough in raspberry sugar, pressing with your hands to adhere. Using a thin, sharp knife, cut into 1/3"-thick slices, rotating rectangle a quarter turn after each slice to help maintain its shape. Arrange slices on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1/2" apart. Bake cookies, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until opaque and barely golden, 14-16 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks and let cool.
• Do Ahead:
• Dough can be made 4 days ahead. Keep chilled. Cookies can be made 1 week ahead. Store in an airtight container at room

PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in pistachios., Preheat oven to 300°. On a surface sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. fluted round cookie cutter dusted with confectioners' sugar. Place cookies 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges begin to brown, 18-20 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Spread preserves on bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. If desired, combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, grind pistachios until fine but not powdery. Divide ground pistachios equally between sanding sugar and flour; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add vanilla and salt, and beat for 1 minute. Add yolks one at a time, and beat until evenly combined. Add flour and pistachio mixture, and mix until just combined. Remove dough, and form into a 4-by-6-inch rectangle; wrap in plastic, and chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper, and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Brush dough with the egg white to moisten. Cover evenly with pistachio-sanding-sugar mixture. Lightly press mixture into dough with the rolling pin. Using a 1 1/2-inch fluted square cookie cutter, cut cookies as close as possible to avoid waste. Place on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake until edges are just lightly golden, about 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

PISTACHIO-LEMON BARS

Steps:

• To make crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper (if using foil, lightly butter it). Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add butter and process until well combined. Stir in chopped pistachios. Firmly press mixture into the bottom of the lined pan using the flat bottom of a glass or measuring cup (if it sticks, place a piece of parchment paper on the dough before pressing). Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the filling ingredients. When the crust is baked, pour the filling into the pan and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and cut into 2-inch squares.

PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix flour, powdered sugar, and saslt in processor. Add butter, pistachios, egg yolk, and vanilla.
• Using on and off turns, mix until moist ball forms. Transfer dough to work surface. Divide dough in half. Form each half into 8 X 1 1/4" log (if dough is too soft, chill until firm, about 30 minutes). Wrap logs in plastic, refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours. Can be made 5 days ahead, keep chilled.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Slice logs into 1/4" rounds, rolling log every few slices to retain round shape. Place rounds on ungreased baking sheets, spacing 1" apart.
• Bake shortbreads until barely golden, about 18 minutes. Cool shortbread on baking sheets.
• Store in airthight container at room temperature.