These Italian pistachio cookies are so delicious that it is worth making a double batch straight away ;). These are not your ordinary pistachio biscuits — there is no flour in them at all, they are made almost entirely from pistachios. Crisp on the outside, soft and chewy in the centre, naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, with a beautiful green interior and a delicate hint of lemon. Wonderfully pistachio-rich and completely impossible to stop eating. Perfect for Christmas baking — I already know I’ll be making a bigger batch this festive season :).
Note: the cookies can also be made using ready-ground pistachios, if you have them available — see the note below the recipe.
Makes 20 cookies.
Ingredients for the pistachio cookies:
- 260 g pistachios (raw, not roasted)
- 100 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp runny honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- finely grated zest of ½ lemon
- 50 g liquid egg white (approximately 1 XL egg white)
The colour inside the cookies will depend on the pistachios used — the greener the pistachios, the brighter the interior. Iranian pistachios are especially known for their vivid green colour.
Place the pistachios and 50 g of the icing sugar into a food processor and blend until a fine pistachio flour forms. Add the honey, vanilla extract, egg white and lemon zest, then blend until combined. Finally, add the remaining 50 g icing sugar and pulse briefly until the dough comes together. The finished dough should be soft but not overly sticky. Line a flat baking tray with baking parchment.
Using a full tablespoon of dough (15 ml spoon), shape the mixture into balls. Place the extra icing sugar (listed below) into a small bowl. Roll each ball generously in the icing sugar and place onto the prepared tray, leaving space between them. Press one pistachio into the centre of each cookie.
Bake at 175°C for about 12–15 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
Additionally:
- 60 g icing sugar, for coating
- 20 whole pistachios
The pistachio cookies can be stored for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container or biscuit tin.
Note: if using ready-ground pistachios, simply place them into the food processor together with the remaining ingredients and blend until combined. You will still need 260 g of ground pistachios.
Enjoy!
Recipe source — Biscotti: Recipes from the Kitchen of the American Academy in Rome by Mona Talbott and Mirella Misenti.
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