Pistachios and tangerines are meant for one another. In these simple sugar cookies, the happy union of the two ingredients is the highlight of every bite. Crispy, crunchy, and slightly salty, these cookies are delightful served alongside a cup of tea in the afternoon, or with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Plus, it’s always nice to have a roll of cookie dough in the freezer so you can bust out some fresh baked goods for a guest or an impromptu dinner party.
Shelling pistachios is the only laborious part of the recipe. In the evening after dinner, I can usually rope Otis or Lilah into helping me with this task. While we pull pistachios from their shells, we chat about our day and dream about the nutty cookies that await us.
makes 35 to 40
1 cup shelled roasted salted pistachios (10–12 ounces in the shell)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup turbinado sugar
1 egg yolk
1⁄3 cup quinoa flour or all-purpose flour {GF folks: see “Stocking the Pantry” for suggestions}
½ teaspoon tangerine or orange zest
½ teaspoon orange flower water
Maldon or other flaky sea salt
Grind the pistachios in a blender until they are the consistency of cornmeal; a coarse flour-like texture is what you’re looking for.
In a standing mixer, or using a hand mixer and large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolk. Continue mixing, then add the ground pistachios, flour, zest, orange flower water, and a generous pinch of salt until well blended.
Lay out 2 pieces of plastic wrap and make 2 logs of cookie dough, each about 1" in diameter. Wrap the dough in the plastic and chill the wrapped dough in the freezer for at least half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Slice the cookie logs into ¼"-thick rounds and place them onto the baking sheets. (Give the cookies a little room in case they spread a bit while baking.) If any of your rounds break apart when you’re slicing them, just squeeze them back together—all that butter will work its magic.
Bake the cookies for 20 to 22 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool on a rack. Wait to eat the cookies until after they have cooled—that’s when the irresistible crunchy texture emerges.
These cookies can be kept crisp and ready to eat in a sealed container for a few days.