Pistachio Choc Chip Cookies/Biscuits

I feel for the pistachio farmers who surely cannot keep up with the current demand!  I did read that the people in countries like Türkiye and Iran (the top producers and consumers) are finding it rather difficult to produce enough, and to obtain the nutty ingredients (at a fair price) for their own cuisine.  And honestly, I think there are other nuts with way more taste and interest, in my mind (and tastebuds).  But anyways, don't mind my ramblings - these are delicious, my friends.

This is a recipe from Donna Hay's lovely new-ish cookbook Sunshine, Lemons and Sea Salt, reflecting her love of modern coastal living and cooking.  She lives on the New South Wales coast, and she wanted this cookbook to show her love of the beach, and sunny days.  Her signature colour is blue (her homewares range are mostly blue), which is a fave colour of mine too. Oops, this sounds like an ad.  Nope, just me enjoying her recipes and accoutrements.

these didn't last long!

Makes 12:

Ingredients:

120g./4.2 oz pistachio spread    see Notes

335g./12 oz plain flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bi-carb soda (baking soda)

1 tsp cornflour

180g./6.5 oz brown sugar

110g./4 oz caster sugar

225g./8 oz butter, chopped and left to sit out for a bit to soften

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

250g./9 oz milk chocolate, chopped

150g./5.3 oz toasted pistachios, chopped

pistachios

Method:

Line a small baking tray with baking paper

Scoop/spoon out 12 x 1.5 teaspoons of the pistachio spread and place them on the baking tray in delightful little mounds or balls

Freeze for an hour, or till nicely firm (took about 2 hours here)

Turn on your oven to 180C/350F to heat up

Grab a mixing bowl, and your whisk, and throw in the flour, baking powder, bi-carb soda and cornflour

Whisk well, then set aside while you grab another mixing bowl, and beat the 2 sugars and butter together - Donna says for 8 minutes, or till light and fluffy    see Notes 

Now beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla and salt for 3-4 minutes till beautifully incorporated

Then add in the flour mixture bit by bit, beating but not over-beating

And chuck in the chocolate and nuts, and stir!   see Notes

Being in muggy Brisbane, I decided to put the dough into the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up, before rolling it out into 12 rounds of about 1/2 cupful/110g./4 oz, and flattening slightly   see Notes

Your frozen nutty paste balls get pressed into each of the rounds of dough, which you gather around to enclose the paste

Now place the nutty doughy rounds onto 2 large baking trays lined with baking paper, allowing plenty of room between them - Donna says to leave 10cm/4 inches between each cookie!

Bake for 12-14 minutes (or 16 in my oven), till the edges are lightly golden-brown

Cool 'em on the trays, and enjoy

you guessed it!

Notes:

Pistachio spread is sweetened, whereas pistachio paste is just the ground pistachios

Donna says to use a stand mixer; I don't have one so used my electric hand beaters, and for a few less minutes than 8.  And it was just fine!

I used a mixture of white, and dark, and Lindt milk chocolate rather than all milk chocolate

Donna says to freeze the cookie dough rounds overnight if you want fudgier cookies!

My dough was so soft, I could not roll it out, so had to use spoons to shape it, then put them back in the fridge again to firm up.  I should have shoved 'em in the freezer for a bit, I guess

ingredients gathered

spoon/scoop out the pistachio paste onto the trays

beat the sugars and butter together

eggs and flour mixture in; ready for the choc chips and nuts

stir in the chocolate and nuts

get ready to enclose the frozen pistachio paste

golden-brown goodness

oozy and chocolatey

dive in!

baking soda aka bi-carb soda

make sure it's within date! No old baking powder here!