An easy recipe for nutty, subtly spiced pistachio cardamom butter cookies. Perfect as Christmas cookies with their festive red and green colors.
One of my favorite things about going to my parents’ house around the hoildays is the vast assortment of Christmas cookies my mom makes every year. I don’t ever manage to make as many kinds as she does, but I have some standby favorites that I try to make every year and I also like to try a new recipe every now and then too. These pistachio cardamom butter cookies were my new recipe this year and they’re so pretty and so delicious they might just make it onto my all star list. Make sure you read past the recipe below for links to two dozen more Christmas cookie recipes from some of my blogging friends!
The base of these pistachio cardamom cookies is a super easy chill, slice, and bake cookie and the flavor is just buttery heaven. Like shortbread and a sugar cookie had a cardamom-scented baby and you for sure want to eat that baby. The pistachios are nutty without having an overpowering flavor, and then you dip those little nuggets into the best quality white chocolate (promise that high quality white chocolate makes a very big difference) you can get your hands on for a creamy, vanilla-y touch. You need that white chocolate dip to give the final sprinkling of chopped pistachios and dried cherries (or cranberries) something to stick to. And then you have utterly beautiful red, green, and white cookies that manage to be sort of subtle and sophisticated but still super festive as a Christmas cookie.
If you’re in the market for a new Christmas cookie give these pistachio cardamom sugar cookies a try. They’re easy to make, so lovely, and taste delicious, and if that’s not a winning combo around Christmastime I don’t know what is!
Pistachio Cardamom Butter Cookies
Easy, delicious, and festive Christmas cookies with subtle red and green accents from pistachios and dried cherries.
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp dried cardamom
- 1 c flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 c shelled, unsalted pistachios (chopped, divided)
- 8 oz high quality white chocolate (chopped)
- 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 c dried cherries or cranberries (chopped)
Cook butter and cardamom in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is light brown and smells nutty, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes, then place in the freezer until just firm, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.
Transfer the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and add the sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until pale, 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients and pistachios and beat on low speed just until combined.
Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half. Place each half on a 9×13" sheet of wax paper with the long end facing you. Roll the dough into 2 logs about 1 1/2" in diameter. Wrap each in wax paper, making sure to cover the ends completely. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Position racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°. Let the dough stand at room temperature until soft enough to slice, about 15 minutes. Slice logs into 1/4" rounds. Arrange the rounds on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets about 1" apart. Bake the cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until the bottoms are lightly golden, 12–15 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool.
Combine the chocolate and oil in a small heatproof bowl. Heat in 10-second intervals in the microwave, stirring, until melted and combined, 30–40 seconds total.
Dip the cookies halfway into the melted chocolate and transfer to wax paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle the chocolate with pistachios and cherries. Chill until the chocolate is set, about 10 minutes.
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Pie Cookies by Handmade Farmhouse | Linzer Cookies by Inspired by Charm | Pistachio Cardamom Butter Cookies by The Chronicles of Home | Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies by Anderson + Grant
Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies by Jenna Kate at Home | Iced Peanut Butter Cookies by Maison de Pax | Caramel Thumbprint Snickerdoodles by Summer Adams | Peanut Butter Cookie Cups by Town and Country Living
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies by French Country Cottage | Reindeer Cookies by Shabbyfufu | Chocolate Chip Cookies by Happy Happy Nester | Gluten/Dairy Free Spritz Christmas Cookies by Zevy Joy
Pecan Tassies by On Sutton Place | Snowball Cookies by Julie Blanner | Braided Sugar Cookie Stick by Tidbits | Sugar Cookie Trees by My 100 Year Old Home
Gooey Butter Christmas Cookies by Tidy Mom | Toasted Coconut Einkron Cookies by Farmhouse on Boone | Christmas Candy (M&M) Cookies by Nina Hendrick | White Chocolate Peppermint Oreos by My Sweet Savannah
Praline Snickerdoodles by So Much Better with Age
