One day a couple weeks ago, I was trolling the internet (as ya do) and saw pistachios in cookies, and I was like, BAM. Hungry Fiance loves pistachios, and I was ready to dip my toes into baking in Berlin. Also, HF gave me A STAND MIXER for Christmas/Hanukkah, and it was high time to break that Kenwood in!
It didn't turn out exactly like I wanted it to, timing-wise. By which I mean: the night I planned to bake them, HF planned to be out of the house until 9 or 10. But 2 different phone calls got the best of me, and so, just as I was getting ready to shell those pistachios, HF walked through the door. Half an hour early, no less. Überpünktlichkeit, is that already a German word?
Being the patient and wonderful guy he is, HF was still excited when I told him he'd have a surprise coming soon-but-not-tonight. And the cookies tasted wonderful over the weekend.
About the pistachios: you can use them whole or chop them up. Just this very morning at the Wochenmarkt (weekly market) around the corner, I saw bags of chopped pistachios with all the work already done for you. The wonders, they will never cease.
About the pistachios: you can use them whole or chop them up. Just this very morning at the Wochenmarkt (weekly market) around the corner, I saw bags of chopped pistachios with all the work already done for you. The wonders, they will never cease.
This recipe makes 24 cookies and, even better in a two-person house, they are totally freezable. Just scoop the dough into baking-size balls, wrap in cling film and pop into the freezer. They can go straight into a preheated oven and just take a couple minutes longer to bake.
Pistachio-Chocolate Chunk Cookies
adapted from Alton Brown and Macheesmo
prep time: 20 minutes
inactive (chilling) time: 1 hour
cook time: 12-15 minutes per batch
226 grams unsalted butter
340 grams flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
56 grams white sugar
226 grams brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
28 grams milk
seeds from 1 1/2 vanilla beans, or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup pistachios, shelled (this was just a bit less than a 200g still-in-shells bag for me)
170 grams good chocolate, chopped into chunks
Sift the flour, salt and baking soda together and set aside. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugars for 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, yolk, milk and vanilla. Add slowly to the mixer and mix for 30 seconds. Gradually add the dry ingredients, and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula if need be.
Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest possible. Add nuts and chocolate. Mix just until well-distributed.
Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 175C (150 for a fan oven). Cover a cookie sheet with baking paper. Using an ice cream scoop (if you got it), scoop the dough into balls on the baking paper, making 6 per sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden.
ingredients:
note - flip to Alton's recipe for measurements in ounces.226 grams unsalted butter
340 grams flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
56 grams white sugar
226 grams brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
28 grams milk
seeds from 1 1/2 vanilla beans, or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup pistachios, shelled (this was just a bit less than a 200g still-in-shells bag for me)
170 grams good chocolate, chopped into chunks
directions:
Melt the butter and allow it to cool.Sift the flour, salt and baking soda together and set aside. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugars for 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, yolk, milk and vanilla. Add slowly to the mixer and mix for 30 seconds. Gradually add the dry ingredients, and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula if need be.
Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest possible. Add nuts and chocolate. Mix just until well-distributed.
Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour.
Allow to cool and enjoy.
For frozen cookies, bake for an extra 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them at the end.
I used Alton Brown's chewy recipe because I like my cookies chewy, but you can add pistachios to any of the recipes on the site I first linked to. That's why I chose it over Food Network. I like that it has all the variations in one place.
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