Description
These delicate and flavorful Italian pistachio cookies have a soft, chewy texture and a rich pistachio flavor, with a slight hint of almond extract and lemon zest. Perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
1 cup shelled pistachios
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup chopped pistachios (for topping)
Extra powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, pulse the shelled pistachios until finely ground but not powdered.
- In a large bowl, mix the ground pistachios, powdered sugar, flour, and salt until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until it reaches stiff peaks.
- Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and almond extract to the egg white and gently fold in the pistachio mixture until just combined.
- Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of the dough and roll them into balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Gently press the tops of each dough ball with your fingers to flatten slightly, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Dust with extra powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
Notes
If using unsalted pistachios, add a tiny pinch of salt to balance the flavors.
For gluten-free cookies, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum or another binder.
If you prefer a less sweet cookie, reduce the powdered sugar by 2 tablespoons. Add extra powdered sugar to taste if you want them sweeter.
Grinding the pistachios will give a finer texture to the cookies, but whole pistachios can be used if preferred.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 25mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
