I’m not really a holiday season enthusiast per se, but I do find that it’s a great excuse to stretch my baking wings. With that said, it is highly unusual to find me putting up any Christmas trees (or menorahs for that matter). This cookie is about as red and green as I go, luckily, it is as delicious as it is festive.
These cookies are another installment from the December 2006 Gourmet, which I thought was a particularly awesome cookie edition, for some reason. These cookies appeal to my need for real food (i.e. they are red and green naturally) and they are super easy.
Orange zest is the secret “something, something” in these cookies. It compliments the cranberries and the pistachio amazingly.
The cinnamon also does it’s part, appearing in a mysterious way that is not overpowering. With the citrus it takes on a pleasant flavor that you wouldn’t expect from cinnamon.
The labor for these pretty much only lasts for 15 minutes tops.
And then, true to retro roots, these refrigerator cookies must be chilled.
Shape them into squares by wrapping them in tin foil and squeezing and lightly pushing them into form.
Wrap them tight and put them in the fridge.
I left them in for about 24 hours. They were so pretty when I unwrapped them!
Brush the four outside edges with beaten egg and then roll them in coarse sugar.
I didn’t have colorless sugar, so I used Sugar in the Raw, which worked fine, except, as would be expected, it colored the edges brown. I recommend using colorless.
Slice the cookie log into quarter inch thick pieces and bake on a parchment or silicone mat -lined baking sheet.
They will brown just slightly on top and crack a bit when they are ready – watch them closely or they will burn. These can be stored in the freezer and thawed quickly in the fridge for impromptu baking when guests “stop by”. Or if you just feel like a cookie on a rainy day.
Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies Recipe
Adapted from Gourmet December 2006
Yield: Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 2 1/2 hr
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1/2 cup shelled pistachios (2 1/4 oz; not dyed red)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (1 1/4 oz)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup decorative sugar (preferably coarse)
Special equipment: parchment paper
Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until dough just comes together in clumps, then mix in pistachios and cranberries. Gather and press dough together, then divide into 2 equal pieces. Using a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper as an aid, form each piece of dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Square off long sides of each log to form a bar, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until very firm, at least 2 hours.
Slice and bake cookies:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Brush egg over all 4 long sides of bars (but not ends). Sprinkle decorative sugar on a separate sheet of parchment or wax paper and press bars into sugar, coating well.
Cut each bar crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, rotating bar after cutting each slice to help keep square shape. (If dough gets too soft to slice, freeze bars briefly until firm.) Arrange cookies about 1/2 inch apart on lined baking sheets.
Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes total. Transfer cookies from parchment to racks using a slotted spatula and cool completely.
Cooks’ notes:
•Dough bars can be chilled up to 3 days or frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil, 1 month (thaw frozen dough in refrigerator just until dough can be sliced).
•Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.
2 Comments
These are gorgeous! And I love the combination of pistachio, cranberry and orange. Must be so flavorful…
Lisa,
They are as delicious as they are pretty – and I can’t stress enough how easy they are! I highly recommend that you try them.