Pistachio Shortbread for 4th Blog Anniversary

I have never in million years thought that moving would be so hectic and moving into your own home would make you insanely busy. We are now all moved in, but not completely settled in. Still have tons of boxes lying around in the basement (what a great place to dump stuff and just forget about—didn’t have this luxury in any of our previous residences). Well right now we are in the process of cleaning things up (and that includes the basement as well) and opening the boxes. So fortunately this past weekend, I found the Tripod and the boxes with my NICER bowls & plates (that I use to take pictures) and I also made something that was worth posting, so here I am finally in my virtual kitchen.

Another occasion to celebrate is “Cook’s Hideout” completes 4 years this month.
Coming to the Pistachio shortbread recipe, I bookmarked the recipe the minute I saw it on King Arthur Flour blog. I just loved the pista green color and the easy to make recipe, but it took me more than 2 months to get to it.

I used Earth Balance buttery sticks instead of regular butter making these Vegan. But after tasting them I realized that Earth Balance has more sodium % than regular unsalted sweet butters, so the shortbreads were little on the salty side, but still buttery & yummy.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour blog.
Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter – 1 cup, at room temperature
Pistachio flavored Pudding mix – 1 3.4oz box (Jell-O brand preferred by experts at KAF as it gives the best color)
Salt – ½ tsp
Sugar – ¼ cup
All-purpose Flour – 2 cups
Pistachio flavor – ¼ tsp (I used Almond extract instead)
Pistachios – 2/3 cup, finely chopped (optional)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 300ºF. Grease 8” or 9” round baking pans or line them with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
  
• In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter, pudding mix, salt, sugar & extract until well combined.
• Slowly add flour and beat until incorporated. It is a little dry to begin with but will come together with continuous mixing. If it absolutely does not come together, dribble in a tablespoon of water and mix until it forms stiff dough.
  
• Divide the dough equally in the two baking pans. Smooth tops with fingers or a pastry roller (see KAF link for this nifty gadget).
  
• Prick the dough all over with a fork. Sprinkle the nuts on the top (if using) and gently press them down into the dough. Bake until its golden brown around the edges, about 35-40 minutes.
  
• Remove from the oven and gently flip them over onto a clean surface immediately. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut into wedges while still warm. Let them cool and enjoy.