Salted Pistachio Shortbread Food

SALTED CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper leaving enough overhang around the sides to easily lift shortbread out. (Parchment is used so you can easily remove the shortbread and not cut it while it's in the pan.)
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat together until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla, salt, and flour and beat on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed as the mixture combines. Add 2/3 cup of the finely chopped pistachios, reserving the rest for sprinkling on top of the chocolate. Dough will be very crumbly.
• Press 1/2 of the dough into each of the prepared cake pans. You want it nice and compact in each pan.
• Bake the shortbread for 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top and around the edges.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the shortbread from the pans by picking it up with the parchment paper on the sides. Cut each into 12 wedges. You want to make sure you cut the shortbread while it's still warm. Allow to cool completely on the parchment before dipping into chocolate.
• Melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave in 20 second increments, stopping and stirring after each until completely smooth. Dip the shortbread ends into chocolate and sprinkle with remaining chopped pistachios and sea salt. Allow chocolate to completely set.

SALTED PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Process pistachios in a food processor until finely ground. Remove 2 tablespoons and set aside.
• Add confectioners' sugar, butter and salt and pulse until well combined. Add flour and process until a slightly sticky dough forms (if your food processor is having trouble here, just dump dough out onto a counter or a bowl and mix by hand until no dry spots remain).
• Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan or tart pan with a removable bottom with nonstick spray or softened butter and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
• Press dough into the pan into an even layer (you can use your hands, or use the bottom of a measuring cup to press dough into an even layer). Dust with confectioners' sugar and sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons ground pistachios and flaky salt.
• Bake until cookie is just golden around the edges and dough is baked through, 17 to 22 minutes.
• Once cookie is out of the oven, remove from springform or tart pan. Dust with more confectioners' sugar, if you like. Before it cools, slice cookie into 24 thin wedges (start by cutting the circle into quarters, then slice each quarter in half, then each half into thirds to get nice, thin triangles.
• Let cookies cool completely before transferring them (they will be soft and easily broken if moved before cooled).

PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

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

PISTACHIO-SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse cookies in a food processor until crumbs form. (You should have 1 cup.) Process with pistachios, sugar, and salt, until fine crumbs form. Add butter, and process until mixture holds together.
• Press crumb mixture evenly into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool.

PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Pulse pistachios in a food processor until finely ground but not a paste, about 30 seconds. Add flour, sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla; pulse until mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. With machine running, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water (a crumbly dough should form; do not overprocess).
• Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment paper and pat into a rectangle. Top with another sheet of parchment and roll out to a 12x8" rectangle. Transfer dough (in parchment paper) to a baking sheet and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°F. Remove top sheet of parchment paper from dough and discard. Cut dough lengthwise into 8 equal strips, then each strip crosswise into quarters, forming 32 rectangles. Place rectangles on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1" apart.
• Bake shortbread until golden brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool.
• DO AHEAD: Shortbread can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325ºF.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Add 1/3 cup nuts; mix well.
• Press dough into 12x8-inch rectangle on parchment-covered baking sheet. Cut dough into 8 lengthwise strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 6 pieces. (Do not separate dough pieces.)
• Bake 18 to 20 min. or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 5 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Break apart into 48 cookies.
• Cover additional baking sheet with parchment. Melt chocolate as directed on package. Dip cookies, 1 at a time, halfway into chocolate; place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Let stand until chocolate is firm.

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.

SALTED PISTACHIO MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the sugar so it's a perfectly even thickness on the paper right to the edge of the sugar, leaving a border on the paper so the sugar doesn't spill onto the pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges start to brown lightly. Watch carefully! Lower the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Just before the sugar is ready, whisk the egg whites on high speed for one minute, until frothy. With the mixer on low, slowly add the hot sugar to the egg whites. (I use a large spoon at first, then pick up the paper and pour the sugar in slowly.) Add the vanilla and continue to whisk on high for 10 minutes, until the egg whites are room temperature. (The bowl may still be warm.) The meringue will be very thick and glossy.
• Using two large serving spoons, scoop 6 very large, messy oval dollops of meringue onto each of two sheet pans lined with parchment paper, spacing them out because they will expand while they bake. Sprinkle the pistachios on top and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (make sure your oven isn't above 250 degrees!), until the outsides of the meringues are crisp but not browned and the centers are still soft. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and set aside to cool.

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 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 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.