Italian Pistachio Cookies

Step 1

Preheat oven to 165°C / 325°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Step 2

In a food processor, combine the first measure of pistachios, almonds and the sugar. Process until the nuts are ground (with no large chunks left). Transfer the ground nuts and sugar into a clean dry bowl.

Step 3

Mix in the measured egg whites (and vanilla if using, this is optional) with the ground nuts and sugar, and mix with a wooden spoon until you get a slightly sticky ball of dough. You will need to mix well to make sure the dough comes together. If needed, add extra egg whites (1 tsp at a time).

Step 4

Chop the extra 75 g of pistachios into smaller, coarse pieces and set aside.

Step 5

Round cookies - Using a cookie scoop or wet hands, portion out the cookie dough to make round cookies (with a diameter of about 1 inch), and roll each one in the coarsely chopped pistachio nuts. Place these cookies on a prepared cookie baking tray and flatten them slightly.

Step 6

Crescent cookies - Using a cookie scoop or wet hands, portion out the cookie dough (with a diameter of 1.5 inches) to make the crescent cookies. Roll this dough ball into slender cylindrical shape, and then shape it again into a crescent. Dip the top of the cookie in the coarsely chopped pistachio nuts. Place these cookies on a prepared cookie baking tray, nut side up.

Step 7

Bake them in the preheated oven for about 10 - 12 minutes, until they just start to turn brown at the edges.

Step 8

Remove from the oven and let them cool down completely. The cookies will be soft when warm, so they must be cooled down before being moved. Dust them with some icing sugar / confectioner's sugar (optional).

Step 9

This recipe makes 23 - 26 cookies, and you can keep them in an airtight container for a few days.