Double Chocolate Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Can I tell you something? I recently turned 1/4 of a century old. I think I finally have to accept the fact that I’m an adult.
And these double chocolate pistachio shortbread cookies? They help me feel like an adult. Because I feel like an adult when I make them. And eat them. They’re just so sophisticated and adulty. Am I making any sense?
They’re elegant, these chocolate shortbread cookies. They’re polished. They’re beautiful. They’re rich and intense and not for the faint-of-chocolate heart. And if imma be an adult, I better not have a faint-of-chocolate heart. That’s how I feel.
These chocolate pistachio shortbread cookies are also more grown-up because they’re not all that sweet. They’re not supposed to be.
They’re chocolatey and intense and dark and deep and bittersweet. And buttery and tender and crispy.
These double chocolate cookies are also really easy to make. Which, adult cookie or not, I think is always a tick in a cookie’s favor. I know this’ll be shocking news, but even adults don’t wanna spend hours toiling over a cookie recipe. And I know this for a fact, because remember, I’m an adult now.
Aside from the rich and deep flavor these chocolate shortbread cookies boast from cocoa powder, there are also little chunks of semisweet chocolate dispersed throughout the dough.
Usually, I like my chocolate chunks on the bigger side. But that’s when I’m making soft and thick and gooey cookies. But these pistachio shortbread cookies aren’t that. They’re crispy and crunchy and also tender and melt-in-your-mouth.
I felt that shards of dark chocolate would be more suitable for these cookies than hefty chunks. The shards work better with this dough, which is more dry and crumbly than, say, a chocolate chip cookie dough.
And, again, chocolate shards have got this sophistication that chocolate chunks don’t really have. Refined is the name of our cookie game here.
And aside from the chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder and the chocolate shards in every indulgent bite of these double chocolate shortbread cookies, there’s the melted chocolate and pistachio garnish.
Once the cookies are baked and cooled, they get dipped halfway into melted dark chocolate. And get sprinkled with finely chopped pistachios.
Talk about fancy. Talk about elegant.
Oh. Use roasted, salted pistachios. Because roasted = more deep flavor. And salted = a subtle hint of salt. I always love a little salt on my cookies, ESPECIALLY my dark chocolate cookies.
So, we’ve got sweet and salty. And rich and chocolatey. And nutty and roasty. YUM.
Quick and easy. Tender and crispy. Crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth. Rich and intense. Deep and chocolatey. Sweet and salty. Nutty and roasty. Elegant and sophisticated.
Double chocolate pistachio shortbread cookies - you make me feel more okay with being an adult. And that says a lot.
Double Chocolate Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Yield: about 30 cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups packed flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate
-1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, melted
-Handful of roasted, salted pistachios, finely chopped
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for a few minutes until mixture is smooth and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add in vanilla extract and cream till fluffy again.
3. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and mix until just incorporated. Stir in chopped chocolate. Dough will be crumbly but should stick together when pressed between fingers.
5. Round medium-large pieces of dough between palms and space out onto baking sheets. Use palm to flatten balls into disks.
6. Bake cookies for 11-14 minutes, until tops and bottoms are dry. Let cool on sheets before moving. Once cool, dip cookies halfway into the melted chocolate. Sprinkle chopped pistachios over the melted chocolate.
