Pistachio and cranberry cookies

Pistachio and cranberry cookies are still very much winter cookies, rich in dried fruit and nuts. Of course, you can swap the nuts for others, but in this version – with pistachios and cranberries – they feel especially festive. The cookies themselves are made from simple, easily available ingredients, and you may know them as “Russian Tea Cakes” or “Mexican Wedding Cookies”. Pistachio and cranberry cookies make wonderful gifts and taste delicious with a cup of hot tea or coffee, as well as with a glass of milk.

Makes 20 cookies.

Ingredients for pistachio and cranberry cookies:

• 115 g butter
• 40 g icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt
• 125 g plain flour
• 20 g potato starch
• 60 g pistachios, shelled and unsalted, finely chopped
• 60 g dried cranberries, chopped

Additionally:

• icing sugar, for coating

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of a mixer. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the salt, plain flour and potato starch, and mix thoroughly until combined. Add the pistachios and cranberries and mix again. Shape the dough into balls the size of a walnut and place them on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

Bake at 175°C for about 22–25 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and, while still hot, roll the biscuits in icing sugar, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Store the pistachio and cranberry cookies in an airtight container or tin at room temperature for up to 7 days.

Enjoy!