A simple recipe for a pistachio cookie with dried cranberries, perfect for Christmas.
Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything, a great blog from a self-proclaimed foodie.
Yield: About 4 dozen smallish cookies.
I did something for this cookie that I have never done before in my entire life. I actually bought and paid for a packet of dry sugar cookie mix. I was kind of embarrassed. I was walking around the store, hiding the cookie mix behind a box of light bulbs, hoping no one would see me with it. I felt like I was buying porn or something.
If we are keeping count, there are actually a couple more firsts for me, courtesy of this cookie recipe. Namely, buying shelled pistachios ($8 a can, but completely delicious) and buying pistachio flavored instant pudding mix, which I have never had any use for. It’s been a completely foreign experience, all the way around.
On the bright side, this cookie is amazingly easy to throw together. Christy was right… you could easily throw together 8 dozen without breaking a sweat. It also gave me a chance to work out my aggression by using my favorite kitchen tool, the Pampered Chef nut chopper. It may need to be sharpened, though, because I worked out more aggression than I was actually feeling, and then I started feeling a little aggression toward the nut chopper itself, before all my pistachios were properly chopped. Oh well, what’s life without something to complain about?
The dough does turn out a bit heavy, so I experimented a couple ways to smash the cookies flat. I left some un-smashed, but I really liked the flat version better. I first tried smashing them flat right as they came out of the oven, but they were just not done enough and not pretty enough for me. I have standards, you know. I had the best luck by smashing them with a heavy drinking glass before baking, and then baking about 8-9 minutes, then leaving them on the baking sheet several minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
These cookies are so pretty! I absolutely love the green color with the red dots of cranberries. I found myself wishing the cranberries gave a little more flavor than they did, although I do love pistachio. Regular readers of this blog know that I have a family of nut-haters, and you are probably wondering why I would even make a pistachio cookie at all. Believe me, I’ve been asking myself that same question. It turns out, my sons actually like the cookies, although my daughter is not a fan. My dad who dropped by to help me last night was rewarded with a couple cookies, which he claimed would probably be gone before he could make the 10 minute drive home!
My personal opinion of this cookie? It’s not my all-time favorite or anything, but it is solid. The green and red color make it look so festive! I think it would be perfect for a last minute holiday get-together, or a gift for a neighbor or coworker.
- 1 Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix pouch
- 1 box (4 serving size) pistachio flavored instant pudding mix
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup dry roasted salted pistachios, chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
- Mix dry ingredients together.
- Add eggs and butter and mix until combined.
- Fold in pistachios and cranberries.
- Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool 3-5 minutes before removing from baking sheet.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Honey Pistachio Biscotti from Joy the Baker
Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cookies from Two Peas and Their Pod
Oreos from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
Comment
Pingback: Bite-Size Christmas Cookies, perfect for entertaining | Jen's Favorite Cookies
Pingback: 20 Great Christmas Cookies | Jen's Favorite Cookies