no. 129: salted pistachio and strawberry shortbread cookies
Plus, a cute new pair of earrings!
Well, it turns out that the best way to take your mind off an impending surgery is to be so booked and busy that you don’t have a moment to wallow in any self pity. I am amidst a very rare professional occurrence where I have booked myself to cater three events in one week.
I obviously created this schedule before I decided to carelessly shred my ligaments, but I am a woman of my word, and these appetizers certainly aren’t going to prepare themselves. Plus, it’s better than being sad and alone in my apartment. Lucky for me, I have the most talented friends and chefs around me who have helped me execute this crazy week of events.
The show MUST go on! Anyway, here are some things that I’ve been into this week.
Galley Jules Earrings
One of the events that I catered this week was co-hosted by Soshe, a make up brand, and Galley, a Los Angeles-based jewelry brand. One of the girls working the event was wearing these earrings and I was so obsessed with them that I did, in fact, leave with a pair. My friend Tori got a pair of these pearl drop earrings and plans to wear them to her rehearsal dinner in Hawaii!!!! I’m excited to share this story with anyone who will listen to me at that very dinner!
SoftServices Theraplush Overnight Repair Treatment
Not only does this hand cream feel extremely nice and restorative on my dry, weathered hands, but it is also packaged in the coolest product dispenser I have ever used. I’m trying to reduce my manicure frequency and I feel that this cream is helping me maintain my gorgeous lady fingers between trips to the salon.
Levi’s Ribcage Wide Leg Jean
Okay, these were in my Nuuly box this month and I really love them. They’re definitely a very high rise, but the cut is so nice and I think the wide leg is perfect. It’s obviously a pain with my heinous brace, but we’re making it work. This brace has made me realize that I don’t own a single pair of straight leg jeans and it is HARSHING my vibe. I guess I’ll need to get more barrel leg pants so I can cover her up!
Salted Pistachio and Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
Makes 36 cookies
Okay, this recipe is from 2 years ago, but I’m bringing it back because it is some of my finest work and ‘tis the MF season. I made a double batch the other day (the dough logs are currently hanging in my freezer), and I have big plans to slice ‘em up and bake them soon. I added a little bit of red and green food dye to amp up the color, but I also think they’re a delightful pastel shade of pink and green without the dye.
From December 2022: There is something about a dense, salty, buttery cookie that realllllly scratches an itch for me. These cookies were inspired by Bon Appetit’s zebra-striped cookies, a chocolate and vanilla cookie that I have made over and over again. I was feeling festive and asked myself, “how can I make these doughs red and green?” Behold, the salted pistachio and strawberry shortbread cookie was born. I mean, it’s basically a fancy PB&J.
I love that these cookies come together in the food processor—sure, it does require an occasional wiping out of the bowl, but I’d prefer that than having to use multiple machines. If you don’t have a full-sized food processor (apologies to my mini food processor gang), you can grind the pistachios and freeze dried strawberries in a blender and make the dough with a hand or stand mixer. Or maybe just throw a decent Cuisinart on your wish list, eh?
I’m not gonna lie, I surprised myself with these. The sweet, tanginess from the strawberries against the rich, nuttiness of the pistachios is so damn good. I am not delusional and can very much see that my attempted shades of “red” and “green” are probably closer to a “sunset blush” and “mossy sage.” Someone responded to my story and said “ham and split peas.” They’re not wrong. If you want a deeper hue, go ahead and add a few drops of red and green food coloring into their respective doughs.
1 ¼ cup pistachios (unsalted or lightly salted)
1 (0.8 ounce) bag freeze dried strawberries (about ⅔ cup)
2 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, beaten to blend
¼ cup sanding sugar (any color—I used red)
Pulse pistachios in a food processor until finely ground (don’t let it process too long–we’re not aiming to make pistachio butter here). Add ground pistachios to a medium bowl. Remove ¼ cup ground pistachios (this is what you will roll the logs of dough in) and set aside. Wipe the food processor with a dry paper towel and process strawberries until finely ground. Set aside.
In the medium bowl with ground pistachios, add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, and ¾ tsp. salt. In another medium bowl, whisk remaining 1 ¼ cup flour, ground freeze dried strawberries, and remaining ¾ tsp. salt. These are the bases for your pistachio and strawberry doughs.
Wipe food processor bowl clean. Process butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla and process until smooth. Divide mixture between the 2 bowls of dry ingredients (about 1 cup in each). Scrape pistachio mixture (reserving medium bowl) back into food processor (no need to wipe it out) and process just until combined. Return to reserved bowl. Wipe out the food processor and repeat process with strawberry mixture.
Arrange 2 large sheets of parchment paper on a work surface. Dollop one-quarter of strawberry dough in the center of each sheet and pat into rough 6x2" rectangles. Dollop one-quarter of pistachio dough on top of each strawberry slab and pat into rectangles the same size and shape so that you have 2 layers each. Repeat entire process so you have 4 alternating layers. Tightly press stacked dough into cylinders about 1½" wide and 8" long, using the parchment to help you. Wrap logs in plastic wrap and chill until very firm, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°F. Working one at a time, unwrap dough and brush with the beaten egg. Carefully sprinkle surface with sanding sugar and reserved pistachio crumbs and roll logs to coat well (really press dough into sugar so it sticks). Slice into rounds a generous ¼" thick. Arrange cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2" apart. Bake, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until edges are just set, 12–14 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets. Cookies will keep in an airtight container up to 5 days.