This year I was so excited to participate in the fifth annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! This year the swap was joining forces with Cookies for Kid’s Cancer, an American non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against paediatric cancer. What more could you ask for?
The premise behind the swap is quite simple – bake 3 dozen cookies to send to three of my fellow food bloggers (1 dozen each). In return, I sat patiently beside my mailbox while I waited for 3 dozen cookies to arrive from 3 other food bloggers! When I joined the swap I had full intentions of sharing my cookies, but they all arrived looking so delicious and such… I found myself hoarding them for myself! Yes… I ate 3 dozen cookies in a span of a week! Oops!!
Today I am sharing the recipe I made. These are my most favourite holiday cookies. Not only are they easy to make, they are also a great cookie to create ahead of time, pop in the freezer and pull out to bake right before guests arrive. I usually have a batch in the freezer ready to go whenever I have a craving, or when guests show up out of the blue.
(A word to the wise – buy shelled pistachios! In my haste the bake and send this beauties out into the world, I couldn’t find my usual stash of shelled nuts… So I had to shell a few cups of these oh-so-yummy-but-oh-so-frustrating nuts! My fingers were quite sore!)
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1¼ cups (lightly packed) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg white
- 5 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup unsalted, shelled raw pistachios, coarsely chopped
- Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
- Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients; mix just to combine.
- Mix in egg white. Fold in chocolate and pistachios.
- Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll each piece into an 8”-long log about 2-3” in diameter, pushing dough together if it feels crumbly. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and chill until firm, at least 4 hours. (The colder your dough, the easier it will be to slice.)
- Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Working with 1 log of dough at a time and using a serrated knife, cut logs into ¼”-thick rounds and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing ½” apart.
- Sprinkle cookies with sea salt and bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until set around edges and centers look dry, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.
- Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 1 month ahead; freeze instead of chilling. Slice frozen logs into rounds just before baking.
I was the lucky recipient of 12 of those amazing cookies–boy did they go fast! I was very much looking forward to get the recipe and I plan on making a batch (or many!) over the holidays. They’ve become an instant classic at our pistachio and chocolate-loving house! Thank you for the sweet package.
awww thank you so much Marie!!! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!! They are our favourite too — and i love that I can make large batches and freeze!!!