Pistachio Cookies

Chewy, soft, flourless and gluten-free.

This recipe is featured on RecipeNewZ

Source: Simply Gluten Free blog

Taste: 5 (out of 5)

Difficulty: 1 (out of 5)

Ingredients
– 2 ¼ cups pistachios (salted or not)
– 1 cup sugar + more for sprinkling
– 2 large egg whites
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 tbsp orange blossom water
– 3-4 drops green food coloring (optional)
Total: about 20 cookies, if using 1 tbsp ice-cream scoop

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Line two baking sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper.
3. Roughly chop ¼ cup of the pistachios, mix with 1 tbsp of sugar and reserve for garnish.
4. Place the remaining 2 cups of pistachios in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process the pistachios for 2-3 minutes until they turn into a paste. You might need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times during the processing.
5. Add 1 cup sugar to the pistachio paste and process in long pulses until combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until combined. You should have a thick batter.
6. Using a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons, drop the cookies onto the prepared pans, spacing two inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with pistachio-sugar mix.
7. Gently press the pistachios into the cookies.
8. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes for chewy cookies, 15 – 17 minutes for crispy cookies. If using 2 sheets, rotate them half-way through the baking.
9. Let the cookies cool before removing them from the pans.

Afterthoughts
• I baked the cookies for 14 minutes, and they turned out very chewy and soft.
• The orange blossom water added a little Eastern flavor. You can also add rose water for similar effect.
• These cookies are perfect for cookie sandwiches. The original post suggested a chocolate filling. I used whipped cream, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and orange extracts for a whipped filling to sandwich between two cookies. It adds even more richness (and calories – yum!)