Cardamom

cardamom pistachio nib cookie

by:
January 25, 2010
4.5
2 Ratings
cardamom pistachio nib cookie
  • Serves 7 dozen 2" cookies
Author Notes

A few months back, a friend introduced me to a sage corn cookie she had made. I was impressed by the possibilities of a savory cookie made with herbs and spices that could be an accompaniment to menus that already use sweet components in them. We brainstormed possible variations on this theme, using different spice combinations, and soon arrived at two ideas: cardamom, orange, pistachio; and cherry, chili, chocolate.

Our cookie baking session was wonderfully aromatic and fortunately both ideas yielded fantastic results.

Basic proportions were borrowed from Shuna Lydon's Eggbeater site and several substitutions were made. —NakedBeet

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces 72% dark chocolate
  • 9 ounces unsalted butter (sticks + 1 tbsp)
  • 7 ounces white sugar (10 tbsp)
  • 11 ounces dark brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons orange extract
  • 18 ounces flour, sifted and measured
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground cardamom (freshly ground form the pod)
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa nibs
  • 1/4 cup coarsley ground pistachios
Directions
  1. Melt the 72% chocolate in a double boiler and let cool slightly while you prepare the other ingredients.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until the mixture is light in texture and color. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange extract. Add the chocolate in thirds and fold in.
  3. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cardamom. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, folding in until no white flour is visible (do not overmix). Add in the cocoa nibs and refrigerate the mixture for 10-30 minutes.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375º and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1/2 tbsp of cookie dough onto the pan, keeping them 1? apart from one another. Sprinkle a few pistachios on top of each cookie, pressing them in slightly. Bake for 9–11 minutes (on the long side if you want them crispy and shorter if more chewy).
  5. notes:Removing the seeds from the cardamom pods is time consuming, but once you taste this cookie, I think you’ll think it’s worth it. If you can’t be bothered to scoop out the seeds (don’t be afraid of them, they look like something you don’t want in your kitchen) and grind them, preferably in a coffee grinder (not a mortar and pestle, I’m not a masochist), then just make sure that the ground cardamom you get is fresh. Once ground, the quality starts deteriorating quickly, more so than with other spices. And if you do use the ground spice, measure another 1 or 2 teaspoons beyond the 1 tbsp called for.
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  • Kelsey Banfield
    Kelsey Banfield
  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames
  • NakedBeet
    NakedBeet
  • marwa
    marwa

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5 Reviews

marwa
marwa March 23, 2013
i did this recipe its amazing, but it sort of melted with all the dark chocolate, it was not firm as the ordinary cookies
 
alovess
alovess February 20, 2010
Cardomom is a new obsession of mine too so I was delighted to find this recipe! The flavours are work so well together and the biscuits look gorgeous. But the best part? No matter how many spoons of dough you eat, it makes many more biscuits! ;) Thanks again!
 
Kelsey B.
Kelsey B. January 25, 2010
These are so pretty and I LOVE the flavors!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames January 25, 2010
Gotta love a rich chocolate cookie with green nuts on it! These are so beautiful. I bet they're insanely delicious, too!! Oh, by the way, at Indian grocery stores and also many independent grocers and produce markets (ones that have the little cellophane bags of spices, about an ounce each), you can get pre-shelled cardomom seeds. I tested them vs. ones from pods that I had shelled and they were just as good, once ground!! It's no different from buying coriander seeds, or whole cumin, which you then grind. You can probably get the cardamom seeds online, if you can't find them in a local store. ;o)
 
NakedBeet
NakedBeet January 25, 2010
Antonia, thanks for the seed advice. I have a bunch of Indian stores near me in Queens and have never thought to look for pre-shelled ones. I'll definitely be on the hunt for them now. I seem to be going through my cardamom very quickly this season. It's my new replacement "coriander," of spices. And thanks to you both for the lovely comments about the pictures.