Pistachio Date and Orange Cookies

Strolling through the grocery aisles the other day I found myself in front of the nuts. Debating on what kind of nut to use this week I wanted something different. Pistachios look great and will make a fantastic flavor of the week.

Next, what flavors go with pistachios (some history about pistachio)? Dates (Info about the date fruit) are one of my favorites, when fully ripe they have a sweet taste and are soft when you eat them. I need one more flavor to make the trio, something that would brighten up the cookie.

Citrus is my go-to for giving my cookies a fresh taste and brightness. I love lemons, but I thought that might be too strong for the pistachio and date combo. Orange has such a sweet and fantastic smell and taste. Orange would be a great compliment to the cookie batter.

I am now ready to start this week's cookies!

Pistachio Date and Orange Cookies

Barbara Hall

Citrus is my go-to for giving my cookies a fresh taste and brightness. I love lemons, but I thought that might be too strong for the pistachio and date combo. Orange has such a sweet and fantastic smell and taste. Orange would be a great compliment to the cookie batter.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Total Bake Time 12 mins

Chill 15 mins

Total Time 42 mins

Course Cookies, No-Eggs, Nuts

Cuisine American

Servings 30 cookies

Calories 162 kcal

Ingredients

 

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COOKIE DOUGH

• 1 cup Butter unsalted 2 sticks room temperature
• ⅔ cup Powdered sugar 83 g
• 3 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 tablespoon Orange zest
• 13 to 16 Dates depending on size
• ½ cup Pistachios chopped in small pieces
• 2 cups All-purpose flour 240 g
• ¼ teaspoon Baking powder 1 g
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt

WHITE CHOCOLATE WITH PISTACHIOS

• 1 cup White chocolate wafers or a little more
• Crushed Pistachios

Instructions

 

COOKIE DOUGH

• In a food processer, pulse pistachios till you have small pieces on top and crushed in the lower part of the processor bowl. At least that is how mine always seems to do it. You want the small pieces for the cookie dough and the crushed on top of the white chocolate. Put small pieces of pistachios into a bowl, set aside. Keep separate the crushed pistachios for topping. Next, take your dates and pulse them in the food processor until they are small pieces. Put them in a bowl and set it aside.
• Zest 1 orange to get 2 tablespoon of orange zest. Set this bowl aside.
• Weigh or measure the powdered sugar into a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt together. I take a whisk and blend them.
• In a stand mixer or handheld add the butter and mix on medium speed to cream the butter. Make sure all the butter has been creamed.
• Turn the mixer speed down and slowly add the powdered sugar till it is all incorporated. Next, add the vanilla extract and orange zest and turn the mixer back to medium speed. I had to stop and scrape down the bowl and across the bottom to make sure it was all mixed.
• Turn the mixer speed down and slowly add the flour, baking powder and salt mixture till the flour is incorporated. The dough will be a little stiff. Turn the mixer off and add the pistachios and dates and turn the mixer on for about 30 seconds. You may need to hand mix the dough a little to make sure the pistachios and dates go thoroughly through the whole dough.
• Take the dough out of the bowl and place on a silicone pastry mat. Divide the dough in half and roll and form 2 log shapes about 12 to 14 inches each. It should have a diameter of approximately 1-½ inches. Take plastic wrap and wrap around each log, and put it into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. I took them out after about ¾ of an hour and just rolled them a little so they do not get a flat bottom, then returned them to the refrigerator for 15 minutes or more.
• Make sure you preheat the oven to 350°. Take one log out of the refrigerator and unwrap the plastic wrap from the cookie log. Slice into ½ inch slices and put them onto a parchment-lined cookie pan. I did four across and five down. These cookies do not spread hardly at all, so they only need about an inch between each disc of cookie. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, leave on pan for nearly a minute or two after pulling the pan from the oven before moving to a cooling rack.

WHITE CHOCOLATE WITH PISTACHIOS

• Add the white chocolate wafers to a microwavable bowl and heat for 1 minute. Take out and stir and heat for another 30 seconds. Do not dip the cookies into the melted white chocolate wafers and place back on the rack; the chocolate will stick. I have parchment paper sheets that I use for laying the cookies once I have dipped the sides into the melted chocolate.
• I tilt the bowl and dip the cookie till the chocolate covers ⅓ of the cookie. Lay it on the parchment paper and sprinkle some of the ground pistachios right onto the white chocolate. Do not wait to put the pistachios onto the cookie; the chocolate hardens quickly. Finish all the rest of the cookies in the same way. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 26mgPotassium: 53mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 200IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg

Keyword eggless shortbread cookies, orange shortbread, pistachio date cookies

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