When I was young and just getting into baking, my first project was shortbread. This recipe is always a winner with family and friends.

Gourmet Orange Pistachio Cookies

These gourmet cookies (or biscuits, to all our English family and friends) have a beautiful, aromatic taste. These are cookies that impress, and yet you don't have to be an expert to make them. Once you have tried one, you will keep going back for more!

Orange and pistachio is a great flavour combination; however, you can use the basic recipe and start experimenting with other flavours.

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Zest 1 orange
• Yolk 1 large egg
• Pistachio nuts, quantity desired, chopped

Making Your Biscuits

Place the dry ingredients into the food processor with the butter and mix to a bread crumb texture.

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter. Mix until a breadcrumb texture is obtained. Pour the mix into a large bowl.
2. Add the zest of the orange. Break up a small handful of pistachio nuts and add to the crumb mix.
3. Add the yolk of a large egg and mix well with your hands to combine the dough. If the dough is difficult to bring together due to dryness, add another yolk and try again.
4. Once combined together as a dough, roll it out to 5 mm thick. Cut out and place them on a silicone sheet on a baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 mins depending on your oven.
5. Remove them when the biscuits are colouring slightly. Place them on a cooling rack before storing away.

Suggestions

• Change the flavour combination to your own choice. Try chocolate chip, cranberry, peanut and fudge chunks, lemon zest, and almond.
• Make a ginger variety using candied ginger and a small amount of powdered ginger.
• Store in an airtight container when cooled. Eat within 5 days for the freshest experience.
• Freeze for up to 9 weeks.

Rate This Recipe

Please Leave Comments

lemonkerdz (author) from LIMA, PERU on October 18, 2014:

Glad you liked it oliversmum it is one of my favourite biscuits at the moment. Let me know how you get on with the recipe after your 1st batch.

Happy baking

oliversmum from australia on October 06, 2014:

Lemonkerdz Hi. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us, it looks wonderful, and the photographs and easy to follow instructions are a great help. Will be making this recipe very soon. Thanks again. Thumbs up and awesome. :) :)

lemonkerdz (author) from LIMA, PERU on September 26, 2013:

Go ahead RTallioni glad you found the recipe and thanks Denise for the link. I have made Sooooooo many batches of these and still never get tired of them. Love pistachios in desserts and yes denise has a great scone one to try. I would love to link to your nut hub as well so everyone can go the full circle :-))

Enjoy your nutty bikkies

RTalloni on September 26, 2013:

Found this via Denise Handlon's pistachio scones recipe. You two are driving me nuts. :) Thanks for sharing this recipe--linking to my hub on Pistachios, if you have no objection, and pinning to my Ways w/ Food board on nuts.

lemonkerdz (author) from LIMA, PERU on February 27, 2013:

Sorry can´t deny it, i know i should be modest but hey what the heck, these are good, Enjoy!!

Sarah Carlsley from Minnesota on February 27, 2013:

Yum this made me hungry just looking at those!

lemonkerdz (author) from LIMA, PERU on February 12, 2013:

Don´t imagine, go ahead and do it. Don´t forget to try out Denise Hadlon´s Pistachio scones they are delish.

lemonkerdz (author) from LIMA, PERU on February 12, 2013:

Denise the Granola recipe is great. I made a batch this weekend, i just love the stuff. It will taste different each time depending on the honey you get. I use a wild honey we get here so this weeks batch has a taste of Eucoliptus from where the honey was collected. Yes it was a green orange, the green peel seems to have just that little bit of bitterness that i like to give me a punch in the taste buds. Mabe start with an orange, orange. I didn´t put any juice in the mix but i guess a squirt would lift the taste somewhat.

Denise Handlon from North Carolina on February 10, 2013:

Hi lemonkerdz-thanks for the link to the scones; I'll do the same. I have a question I'm curious about-is that a lime in the photo or a green orange? Thanks. BTW-I'll be baking these today. :)

Oh, and I saw a granola recipe in the sidebar I'm going to look at-I've been searching for a granola recipe in my books, but couldn't really find any.

Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on February 10, 2013:

Looks and sounds a tasty treat with pistachio and butter and the rest of the ingredients I can only imagine the taste for now

lemonkerdz (author) from LIMA, PERU on February 08, 2013:

Pistachio scones?????

Thanks i missed that one, us Brits LOVE scones and i am really into pistachio at the moment. I´m going to check that hub out. The zester has become a great friend in the kitchen since i love a little string of orange in there and to be able to see it in the biscuit´s, but some people do like it much finer.

Thanks for commenting and sharing. Vespawoolf beat you to this one as well :-)

Denise Handlon from North Carolina on February 07, 2013:

Wow! What a cool flavor combo! Since I just wrote a hub making pistachio scones, I'll link this one to mine. I'm eager to give them a try. I also enjoyed the other flavor suggestions you made.

I don't have a zester, but it looks like I should get one. I use a 'fine' side of a cheese grater and it seems to do the trick. Thanks UP/A/I & sharing.

lemonkerdz (author) from LIMA, PERU on February 06, 2013:

Glad you have a new recipe pstraubie48 for your pistachio nuts. I found there are very few recipes with pistachios in as well, hence the recipe.

Thanks for looking in and pinning, please come back and let me know what you thought of them.

Patricia Scott from North Central Florida on February 06, 2013:

O, I can almost smell these baking Pistachios are one of my favorite nuts. I have no recipes for cookies with them in them so am bookmarking this.

Pinning so all can share this recipe too.

Sending you Angels this evening :) ps

lemonkerdz (author) from LIMA, PERU on February 05, 2013:

Thanks for looking in A.Bove they sure are tasty little beauties and look forward to your feedback after your first batch of them. Take care of that ipad.

lemonkerdz (author) from LIMA, PERU on February 05, 2013:

Vespa these are good and i'm glad the pics do them justice. Guaranteed good weekend if you make them. Thanks for commenting

A. Bove from New York on February 05, 2013:

I'm practically gnawing on my iPad! *wiping screen with sleeve* I bet they're tasty little beauties. Looking forward to making them and reporting my findings back to you!

Vespa Woolf from Peru, South America on February 05, 2013:

Wow--these sound incredible and now I'm craving orange pistachio biscuits. Your photos are very provocative. Now I know what I'll be baking this weekend. Thanks so much for another great recipe, lemonkerdz!