Cookie Extravaganza! Lemon-Pistachio Wreaths

As of 7:30 pm, we have 17.5" of snow, that's roughly 2 farms animals high!

We've had some dinner, cleaned up some, and we're ready to go again with some more cookies.  After all, it wouldn't be an extravaganza if we quit after just 6 kinds of cookies would it?  It would be more like a casual party.  So now we are making Lemon Pistachio Wreaths.

This recipe is from Martha Stewart and we have never made it before.  At this point we also havent decided if we are actually going to make them look like wreaths either, circles might be good enough for us.  Here's the recipe.

ingredients

1 c flour

3/4 c + 1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c butter

1/2 c + 1 Tbsp sugar

2 egg yolks, room temperature

5 tsp lemon peel

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 c confectioners sugar

1 1/2 c shelled unsalted pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped

instructions

1. whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

we were confused by the cornstarch, we've never seen that in cookies before!

2. in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar

3. add egg yolks, lemon peel, and vanilla

3.  add flour mixture in batches

4. wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

We'll be back later with the rest!

5. cut out cookies. lightly flour your surfaces and roll out the dough to about 1/8" thickness.  cut out wreaths using two different size cutters.
Cornelius' tip: try to minimize the amount of times you have to re-roll the dough because it will become increasingly difficult to work with as it absorbs more flour.

6. cook the cookies.  preheat oven to 350.  line baking sheets with parchment and place cookies, 2" apart, on it.  freeze for 15 minutes.  bake for 10-12. cool completely.
Cornelius' tip: watch your cookies closely!  they burn easily, and cooking times will vary depending on your oven, size and thickness of cookies, and skill level of farm animals.


7. decorate.  sift together confectioners sugar and lemon juice.  brush cookies with icing and then sprinkle with pistachio bits.  let dry before storing or eating.

OK, we were really impressed with these cookies.  Even the few we burnt (see tip for #6) were good!  They have a very unique flavor and weren't at all difficult.

pig, out.