Seaneen's Sunnyside Kitchen

About a million years ago I lived in Germany, and nobody does Christmas or Christmas confectionery like the Germans.

These rich buttery cookies are the perfect Christmas cookie. I have used pistachios but you could use any type of nut you prefer. These are quite rich, but they aren’t something you’ll be eating everyday. They also make great Christmas gifts.

You could also swap out the vanilla extract for almond essence or pistachio paste if you want to experiment with different flavours.

(Makes 24 cookies)

Ingredients

95 Grams Ground almonds

75 Grams Sugar

270 Grams Plain flour

25 Grams Pistachios (chopped)

225 Grams Butter (chilled and cut into cubes)

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

Method

1. Add all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine
2. Add the vanilla extract and butter, and rub the butter into the dry mix (you can also use a food processor to do this)
3. When the butter has been rubbed into the dry mix, start pressing together to form a dough
4. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 30 minutes
5. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius), and line a baking sheet with baking parchment
6. Take the dough out of the fridge and turn out on a lightly floured surface
7. With your hands, roll the the dough into a sausage and divide into 24 equal parts
8. Shape each section of dough into a half moon shape with your hands and place on your prepared baking sheet
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookies start to brown at the edges
10. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire wrack
11. When cool, dust liberally with icing sugar
12. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days