Professor Butter Beard’s Pistachio Shortbreads with Chocolate, Ginger and Lime
35-40 cookies
3 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 ½ Tbsp of ground ginger
1 1/2 cup confectionary’s sugar
Zest of 2 limes
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla paste
½ cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup pistachios, gently roasted and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp granulated sugar for dusting before the bake
1) Lightly roast the pistachios, coarsely chop them, and set aside to cool.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and ground ginger. Set aside.
3) Place the confectioner’s sugar and lime zest in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix together until the zest is evenly distributed.
4) Add the room temperature butter, breaking the sticks into 1” pieces. Mix at medium speed until the mixture is smooth and silky. Mix in the vanilla paste.
5) Add the dry mix all at once. Mix together at a low speed until the mixture forms a dough. Add the mini chocolate chips and chopped pistachios. Fold to incorporate. Do not overmix.
6) Line one baking sheet with parchment. Using a 1 ½ Tbsp scoop, portion the dough into roughly 35-40 balls. Spread them evenly on the baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours.
7) Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line three more sheet pans with parchment paper.
8) Place 12 cookie balls onto one of the parchment-lined pan. Dip the your favorite cookie press in flour, shake it off and flatten the ball into a ¼” disc, impressing the design. Continue to press the dozen cookies and then lightly dust them with granulated sugar.
9) Bake one pan at a time on the center rack for 8 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 6 minutes until the edges of the cookies are just beginning to brown. While one pan bakes, prepare the next dozen for baking.
10) Cool the cookies on the sheet pan for five minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
