BY CASSANDRA HAMMERSTONE
April 2024
I’ve made this recipe for decades, in a myriad number of citrus and nut combinations. This one is my favorite because it’s buttery and complex with pops of floral sweet-tart brightness from the Meyer lemons and rich, woodsy, citrusy pistachios.
You can make the shortbread dough entirely in the food processor, form it by hand (no rolling pin needed) and freeze batches for whenever you need an elegant pick-me-up that you can easily slice and bake. I always have shortbread cookie dough in the freezer, patiently waiting.
Meyer lemons are in season for a short window, usually from December to May. A mandarin orange and lemon hybrid, they’re extremely fragrant and golden yellow in color. If you're unable to find Meyer lemons for this recipe, consider combining the juice and zest of a lemon and an orange to mimic the distinctive flavor.
Bring your butter to room temperature, then cut it into one-inch cubes. Add the butter to the bowl of a food processor along with the sugar, salt, Meyer lemon zest and juice. Pulse until the butter is soft and creamy and the ingredients are fully combined. Then, add the flour and pulse until the mixture begins to form a crumbly, sandy texture. Add the whole pistachios in just at the end and pulse until the dough begins to come together.
Use roasted, lightly salted pistachios, and do not bother removing the skins. It’s best to add the pistachios to the mix just at the end to give you larger, visible pieces that fleck the cookies. Since we’re using the blade of the food processor instead of the dough mixer, the pistachios will become too fine and sandy and dry out the dough if you add them with the flour.
Turn out the dough onto your work surface and press any crumbles together to form a tight ball. Then form the dough into a rounded log that’s about two inches in diameter. Wrap the dough with parchment paper and place it in the freezer for at least thirty minutes, until it’s cold and firm but still able to be sliced.
Remove the dough from the freezer and slice it into quarter-inch rounds. Place on a prepared cookie sheet and bake at 325° for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges of the shortbreads begin to turn brown and the centers are firm. They will slightly increase in size as they bake, but because there’s no leavening, they won’t drastically rise or spread.
Baked shortbreads will keep in an airtight container for about three days. To make ahead, wrap the raw dough in parchment paper then plastic wrap and freeze for up to six months.
They’re moist and buttery, with bursts of nutty pistachio and citrus zing that’s rounded by the natural sweetness of the Meyer lemons. Curl up with some tea and enjoy these low-effort, elegant cookies.
meyer lemon and pistachio shortbread cookies
Season: Winter, Spring
Makes three dozen cookies
ingredients
1 cup (two sticks) butter at room temperature
1¼ cups Confectioners’ sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp Meyer lemon zest
2 tbsp Meyer lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour (360 g)
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
PREPARATION
Zest and juice two Meyer lemons.
Cube the butter and add it to the bowl of a food processor with the sugar, salt, Meyer lemon zest and juice. Run the food processor until fully combined.
Add the flour and run the food processor until the flour has been fully incorporated into the butter but has not yet come together as a dough. Add the pistachios and pulse until they are incorporated into the dough and the dough begins to hold together.
Turn the dough out and gently bring it together, working any crumbles into the dough with your hands. Then, form the dough into a log that’s approximately two inches in diameter.
Wrap the dough in parchment paper and freeze for at least thirty minutes, or until the dough is cold but still easily sliced.
While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 325°.
Remove the dough from the freezer, slice into quarter-inch rounds and place on a prepared cookie sheet at least one inch apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the bottom edges of the shortbreads begin to brown and the center of the shortbreads are firm. Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely before serving.
Store in an airtight container for up to three days. To make ahead, wrap the raw dough in parchment paper, then an outer layer of plastic wrap and freeze for up to six months.
