Orange Blossom Apricot Pistachio Cookies are delicate butter cookies with flavors of orange and apricot then topped with crushed pistachios.
These Orange Blossom Apricot Pistachio Cookies were a direct result of a lunch conversation at a local Lebanese restaurant. We were discussing which cookies I should order for dessert and the owner sold me on a dessert splashed with orange blossom water. I sought out to find a recipe that I could incorporate this into.
Most of the cookies and pastries offered at the restaurant had nuts, honey and orange blossom or rose water. In fact I went home with a little condiment sized to-go cup full of orange blossom water. And now I stock both in my cabinet.
The result. A light buttery cookie with two of my favorite flavors – apricot and orange.
I made a big batch for a party I was headed to. They did have some major competition at the dinner party – Guinness brownies with a whiskey ganache. (recipe here) These delicate pistachio cookies held their ground. I like to think they formed a truce with the brownies after coming to the realization that they both had their place at the table.
These are a perfect Easter cookie – light and buttery. Great alongside my Vanilla Bean Cookies. For a Christmas version – try cranberry jam.
don’t forget to PIN these cookies!
Buttery cookies with flavors of orange and apricot and topped with crushed pistachios.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 sticks butter softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs separated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons orange blossom water
- zest from 1 orange preferably organic
- 1/3 cup apricot preserves
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios lightly toasted
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Bowl #1: Sift flour and salt together.
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Bowl #2: Mix sugar with egg yolks until well combined.
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Bowl #3: Mix vanilla, orange zest, orange blossom water and butter.
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Combine bowl #2 and #3 and mix well. Then add the flour/salt bowl and mix until everything is incorporated.
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Divide dough into two halves, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer if you've made it ahead of time.
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Preheat oven to 375F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
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Prep your toppings so they're handy for the assembly line: preserves, nuts and lightly beaten egg whites.
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Remove the dough from the fridge, one part at a time and roll small, 1 inch balls.
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Lightly flatten them.
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Brush or dip the top of the ball into the egg whites and line them up on your cookie sheets. These cookies do not spread much so you can put them fairly close.
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Lightly indent the top with your finger and fill the indent with ΒΌ teaspoon of preserves.
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Press the pistachio pieces onto the edges around the preserves.
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Bake for 12 minutes, moving the sheets from top to bottom and back to front after 6 minutes. Bake until the cookies are barely colored on the sides with a slightly darker line around the bottom edges.
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Let cool for 10 minutes and then transfer onto a cooling rack.
*Dough can be prepared ahead of time.
*I found that the cookies were even better a day after they were baked.
Adapted from http://boisdejasmin.com/2006/12/orange_cookie.html
A great tip from BoisdeJasmin, "In order for the flavor ingredients to blend well, always add them to the fat first."
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