Honey Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

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These honey pistachio shortbread cookies comes together quickly for a simply divine tea time cookie.

Shortbread is one of those cookies that I forget about a little. Generally it’s not as exciting as its cookie counterparts, the chocolate studded or enrobed kinds that we tend to default to.

Just look at any table a Girl Scout has set up and see what moves slowest — in my cookie-slinging days, it was the shortbread.

Good shortbread, however is far from boring. Yes, it’s a little crumbly, but that texture means it melts in your mouth, the butter and sugar dissolving on your tongue in sweet perfection. Simplicity at its best.

We’re all embracing minimalism anyway these days, right? Honey pistachio shortbread does spark joy.

honey pistachio shortbread

I decided to make this recipe after getting a random craving for baklava. Baklava is a wonderful flaky, super-sweet, nutty dessert that I can’t resist when it is put in front of me — which is why I never make it myself.

While baklava most often uses walnuts, I’ve also had pistachio. The delicate flavor of pistachio is perfect for a tender shortbread. When it comes to shortbread, you want the overall experience to be that of a delicate cookie, not a WHAM of flavor.

Brushing honey on top of the warm shortbread adds floral sweetness to finish it off. Warm the honey before brushing it on at the very end of baking.

how to make shortbread

Shortbread is exceedingly easy to make. Aside from using only a few ingredients, it only takes minutes to mix together. If you have a food processor, it’s even easier!

Using a food processor, you first blitz the pistachios. You can make the pieces any size you like, but a smaller, more uniform size will mix better into the shortbread. However, take care to not process them all the way into tiny crumbs, as this can affect the texture of the cookie.

Next, add the flour, sugar, and salt, and pulse to combine. You can use brown sugar if you like, but since it is moist you’ll need to reduce the quantity of the butter a slight bit in order to preserve shortbread’s ratio. The ratio is what makes an utterly tender, crumbly cookie!

Cut your butter into chunks and pulse it in until the dough is a bit clumpy but still rather loose. Do you remember Moon Sand? It will look a little like that. If you continue to pulse, it will start to form into a ball and can result in a tough shortbread.

Pour the crumbles into a pan and press to even out. There’s no need to butter or line the pan because there is so much butter in the shortbread — you should have no problem getting the cookies out post-baking.

After the pistachio shortbread has baked, let it cool in the pan slightly, then cut and carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve it up to your gal pals with hot tea for a relaxing afternoon.

Want to try another shortbread? Make my lemon shortbread cookies!

Pistachio Shortbread

This honey pistachio shortbread comes together quickly for a simply divine tea time cookie.

Author : Megan Myers

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Recipe Review

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings 18

Calories 188 kcal

Ingredients

  

1/2x1x2x3x

• 1/3 cup shelled pistachios
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons honey

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until they are finely chopped. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the dough starts to come together and becomes crumbly.
  1/3 cup shelled pistachios, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, 16 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Dump the dough into an 8×8 square baking pan and press gently to even out. Prick holes all over the dough with a fork.
• Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. When there is 5 minutes left of baking, warm the honey briefly and then brush all over the top of the shortbread, then return pan to the oven.
  2 tablespoons honey
• Let cool slightly, then slice and carefully remove slices to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Recommended Products

• Silicone Spatula Set 
• Non-Stick 9-Inch Square Baking Pan with Lid, Set of 2
• Cuisinart DLC-2ABC Mini Prep Plus Food Processor 

Nutrition

Calories: 188 kcalCarbohydrates: 20 gProtein: 2 gSaturated Fat: 6 gCholesterol: 26 mgSodium: 98 mgSugar: 9 g

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.

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