Chocolate-Dunked Pistachio Shortbread

Jenny is in perpetual search for easy, weeknight recipes to attempt to feed her family. When they balk, she just eats more.

Guess what? I have a new favorite cookie! And it isn’t based on an Oreo, Girl Scout cookie or any other junk food from my past, all of which I have been making for the better part of the last six months.

So thrilled was I to try Chocolate-Dunked Pistachio Shortbread that I think I would have made it on any random Saturday, but as it turned out I needed a hostess gift for a dinner party. (A Washington sort, thanks for asking, where people talk about the debt ceiling and ponder endlessly the future of newspapers and where no one really wants to talk about Michelle Obama’s new bangs.)

Anyway, these cookies whip up in two seconds. They have this incredibly divine texture even for those of you who don’t normally likes nuts in cookies, and a very unique flavor if you do three things I am about to tell you.

First: While the recipe calls for raw unsalted pistachios, I bought salted pistachio meats at Trader Joe’s, which are both wildly convenient and give this cookie a salt kick that really puts it over the top.

Second: Be sure to chop up the second batch of pistachios pretty fine so you have that nice dust when you dip them.

Third: I know the recipe says you can just melt chocolate up and it will be this nice dipping sauce. For everyone in the world but me, it seems as I have been struggling with dipping cookies in chocolate for months now. I really believe you need butter or shortening to give chocolate its proper gloss and movement if you’re going to dip a cookie in it. Otherwise all you have is sort of chunky, hot chocolate that is dull and stagnant and won’t adhere to its cookie pal and suddenly you’re feeling really sad and inadequate and wonder if maybe you should go work in a mattress store because those are the most dispiriting places you can think of. So add two tablespoons of butter, melt it down and see if it is glossy enough. If not, add more.

Dip. Cool. You won’t be able to wait an hour to eat them.

Chocolate-Dunked Pistachio Shortbread by Rivka

Makes 1.5 dozen cookies

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 plus 1/3 cup raw unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photo by James Ransom

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