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Pistachio-Saffron Cookies
May 22, 2009 | 43 Comments
CLICK: Cookies
Event Details HERE
Photographer: Jai
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II
Lens: 100 mm macro
Shutter speed: 15 sec
ISO Speed: 100
F-stop: f/22
DEADLINE: May 30, 2009
These are a variation of our favourite Tuscan Almond Cookies. Whenever we dig out nuts from the freezer and want to use up a batch quickly, this recipe comes in very handy. This time it was pistachios. In lieu of orange and fennel, we used saffron and cardamom as the main flavourings. Delicately perfumed and full of win.
The salmonella scare has taken pistachios off most grocery shelves. When they are available again, we will be surely making another batch of these. They turned out “chewier” than the almond cookies – in a good way. It may have to do with the fat content of the nut.
PISTACHIO-SAFFRON COOKIES
** If you like a sweeter cookie and use more sugar, increase the amount of flour, ‘cos the dough may spread out when the sugar melts. Confectioner’s sugar, which this recipe calls for, is simply plain powdered sugar mixed with cornstarch.
Makes a dozen medium cookies.
6 ounces pistachios (we didn’t bother to toast them) (about 1.5 cups)
raw cane sugar, plus 1 tsp cornstarch to total 1/3 cup (or more. see note above)
** or 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar. We usually use 1/4 cup.
1 tablespoon all purpose flour/oat flour or any gluten-free flour
1/3 tsp crumbled saffron
2 green cardamom pods
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites (1/4 cup)
1/3 tsp baking powder
3 tbsps raw cane sugar (powdered) or confectioners’ sugar for coating cookie dough
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F
2. Grind the pistachios, cardamom seeds and the sugar to a fine powder in a food processor.
3. Add salt, baking powder and flour.
4. Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
Tip: add a couple drops of lemon juice and a teaspoon of powdered sugar while beating. It helps hold the peaks better.
5. Remove half of the beaten egg whites and keep aside.
6. Fold in the dry ingredients into the remaining egg whites with the saffron. Knead into a smooth dough. It may be sticky, but shouldn’t be overly so. If it is, add flour, a teaspoon at a time. Add the egg whites set aside only if you need it.
7. Line a cookie sheet with silicone or parchment. Traditionally, these are shaped as ovals or diamonds after dredging them in more confectioners’ sugar. Demo HERE. We shaped them into regular cookies. Make them atleast an inch thick since they spread a lot, and place them well apart. This is a very sticky dough, and dredging it in the sugar helps.
8. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Cover with parchment paper and bake for another 2-3 minutes. They should not turn brown. Cool for a couple of minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve with a cup of strong tea or espresso.
(If you have 9 oz pistachios, increase the other ingredients proportionately, and you will probably end up using about 3/4 of the egg whites.)
CARNATIC ROCK
Karukara (Black) is a folk ballad about the monsoon. The singer has a psychedelic voice reminiscent of Astrud Gilberto.
Band: Avial
Album: Avial
Language: Malayalam
Karukara (Black)
karukara kaarmukil
kombanaanapuratheri ezhunallum moorthe
dhimi dhimi thakkam theyi theyi
dhimi dhimi thakkam theyi theyi
karkitakathevare ….
kudam kudam thudam thudam nee vaarthe … vaarthe …
mazhavil kodi maanathu
ponnambala muttathu
viriyunnu kozhiyunnu
alinjalinjangulanju maarunnu
manathoru mayilattam
peelithiru mudiyattam
ilagunnu nirayunnu
idanjiidanjangazhinju neengunnu …
karukara kaarmukil …
Have a great Memorial Day weekend,
bee and jai
Filed Under: avial band, cardamom, cookie, Eggs, Pistachio, Saffron, vegetarian recipes
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43 Comments
I love the pic and the color of the cookies.
Hey,
The cookies look great. Something for me to try out during the long weekend. I usually add cardamom to most of my cookies. Just love that flavour. I have all the ingredients that you have specified already in my pantry,which makes it easy.
Cookies look pretty. Love the different color! Must have been flavorful due to the addition of pista!
I love the combo!
And you may like reading this: http://wrecktangle.blogspot.com/2009/05/avial-almost-famous.html
Those look and sound amazing!
Oh wow!!! This is so very tempting!
Love the composition of the picture – the pistachio-colored mug and the saffron-colored flower – how very apt. With the saffron-cardamom combo, I know I’ll love these cookies.
How I’d love to try those cookies!!!
The song is lovely! I love fusion, no matter what my dad thinks about it!
Well it sometimes harms ,agreeing to what a spouse says…I clicked cookies with a mug of tea and some prop in background(Cookie box), and my hubby commented that it wont work for CLICK (he always does that to me boo hoooo)and i actually agreed to him. But now no matter wht he says or in tht case others feel, the same entry is on your way
Coming to cookies here, though i seldom eat cookies(Maida+sugar+baked stuff is not my type of food),these sounds so different…just 1 tbsp maida, less sugar, more nuts and saffron…wow sounds too good to resist ,even for a fussy cookie eater like me
Looks lovely! I like the pic with white BG than the black! Its actually gorgeous. And did I miss anything ? Where should the set-aside egg whites go ?
It is always amazing how u achieve such a white background! One tbsp of flour and less sugar is great cookie recipe.
The fusion of carnatic rock album is rocking! Have a great weekend
Sorry ! got it.
Darn, pistachios are still off the shelves?! I love this recipe, and not just because it has no added fat but for the nuts
Simple and elegant!
These are great! I am a total cardamom addict,not to mention pistachios..(that scare has not reached these parts..)I normally drink my coffee with cardamom,but I have yet to try it in cookies!
Oh wow love the hint of saffron in the crunchy pista cookies….Looks awesome…
What a fabulous blending of flavors…so unique for a cookie…and I love the green color it took on.
Love the color of cookies and pics too. The black vase is beautiful! Bookmarked the recipe.
I have to learn the basics of food photography and only then I will send in my entry for CLICK and until then just admire the great pictures of the contestants and vote for them.
Cookies looks great…
I am happy you are promoting the use of cardomom. Besides growing in India, cardomom is one of the few cash crops available to indigenous Maya in the highlands of Guatemala. When I was privileged to visit a rural village and stay for several days we were shown how they planted cardomom in the openings after a tree had been felled for timber. They told us it takes a year to produce salable seed pods, which significantly depletes the soil so they are only able to get marketable amounts for 4-5 years from one plant. The Maya do not get much of the profit from their cardomom. On our second trip there I brought a bottle from the grocer’s and when they saw how much we paid for it they were absolutely shocked.
Lovely Lovely flavors! I am not too much of a cookie person, unless it is something like this.
Nice cookies you’ve got there, Bee
These look phenomenal! A great use up for nuts! Thanks so much for your kind wishes, Bee.
Two of my favorite flavors in one cookie. . . and such a pretty one, at that! They do sound delectable.
Loved the music – melodious! What does the song mean!?
it talks of how nature and various animals respond to the rains.
Salmonella in nuts? I always related them to meat/fish/eggs.
The cookies do look wonderful … the pistas gave them that colour!
Lovely cookies. All the pics. are great
Such elegance and beauty – but I would expect nothing less from you!
One look at the first pic and all I could say was WOW!,my ma-in-law has a stash of pistachios in her cupboard, guess will have to pinch some from there!!hehe
Beautiful photo at the top of the post. These cookies sound perfect. Love the combination of nuts and flavourings. A must try!
Great to know you liked the kara vadai recipe!! Thanks for letting me know..
I am very curious to try this recipe. hey a cookie with just 1 Tbsp flour, no fat, definitely worth trying.
Sounds like mithai-ish cookie.
great combo, love the color!
Fabulous pic jai…love the color of the cookies..nice combination too
I was not aware of the salmonella scare until reading this. The first picture is fabulous. Are they small pieces of the petals? Great idea. The more and more I see pictures here, I learn that more than having a great camera, visualization in the head and creativity matters most.
Hey,
I tried the cookies, but it didn’t come out as good as yours.I did something wrong. You are saying 6ounces is ~1.5 cups.But, 8 ounces is 1 cup. Are we supposed to use 1.5 cups or 3/4cups.And, I didn’t dredge it in sugar.Will that make a difference?
sorry they didn’t turn out well. 6 oz chopped gave me about 1.5 cups. i always measure out by weight and it’s 6 oz.
i don’t have pistachios right now, but i measured out chopped almonds after reading your comment. i’m guessing they weigh about the same. 6 oz came to 1.5 cups.
you need to dredge them only if they are too sticky to handle.
I checked it out. I guess if it were a liquid, what I said would have made sense. But, for dry items, when we measure in weight,4 0z makes a cup. Anyway, we ate the cookies.It tasted good though with all pistas and sugar.
I so love that song.Your cookies look perfect,especially the color.
Hi Bee and Jai,
How are you? Loved your click as usual. As for the cookie recipe…I feel like calling it a Master Recipe (on lines of Artisan bread in % minutes Master Recipe ):p….its easy to mix and match with flavours here.
And you would know in Indian cooking Pistacchios and Saffron go together quite a bit…per say, Kulfi or Kheer or Pista Burfi…et al.
Thanks for sharing
[...] Pistachio-Saffron Cookies [...]
slurrp..color of the cookie made me even more happier ..lovely!