I made these cookies this year as part of my annual Christmas cookie baking. This is a recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. I love that the cookies look like little stained glass windows. These cookies definitely taste better the day after baking and assembling after the jelly has soaked into the cookies a little. I used fluted cookie cutters to make these cookies. Punching out the centers was definitely the fun part!
Ingredients:
2/3 cup shelled pistachios
2/3 cup brown sugar, divided
2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for rolling out
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup strawberry jelly (or any flavor)
Preparation:
1. Place the pistachios and 1/3 cup brown sugar in a food processor. Pulse into a very fine crumb. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla , and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
4. Add the flour mixture and the ground pistachio mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. It will be crumbly at first, but will come together after a couple minutes of mixing.
5. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, gently flatten into discs, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill the discs in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than 3 hours, allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before rolling because the dough will be quite hard.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Set aside.
7. Remove 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. The dough may become sticky as you work, so keep extra flour nearby to use as needed. Roll out the disc until 1/4 inch thick.
8. Using a 2-inch fluted cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with the second disc of dough. You should have about 64 circles.
9. Using a 1-inch fluted cookie cutter, cut a hole into the center of 32 of the circles. Let’s call these 32 cookies the “donut cookies” because of that center hole.
10. Arrange the whole circles and the donut cookies 2 inches apart and on separate baking sheets (because the donut cookies take 1 less minute to bake).
11. Bake the whole circles for about 9 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges, and bake the donut cookies for about 8 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
12. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of jelly on each whole cookie. Carefully top each with a donut cookie and press down gently to create a cookie sandwich.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup shelled pistachios
2/3 cup brown sugar, divided
2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for rolling out
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup strawberry jelly (or any flavor)
Preparation:
1. Place the pistachios and 1/3 cup brown sugar in a food processor. Pulse into a very fine crumb. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla , and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
4. Add the flour mixture and the ground pistachio mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. It will be crumbly at first, but will come together after a couple minutes of mixing.
5. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, gently flatten into discs, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill the discs in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than 3 hours, allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before rolling because the dough will be quite hard.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Set aside.
7. Remove 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. The dough may become sticky as you work, so keep extra flour nearby to use as needed. Roll out the disc until 1/4 inch thick.
8. Using a 2-inch fluted cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with the second disc of dough. You should have about 64 circles.
9. Using a 1-inch fluted cookie cutter, cut a hole into the center of 32 of the circles. Let’s call these 32 cookies the “donut cookies” because of that center hole.
10. Arrange the whole circles and the donut cookies 2 inches apart and on separate baking sheets (because the donut cookies take 1 less minute to bake).
11. Bake the whole circles for about 9 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges, and bake the donut cookies for about 8 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
12. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of jelly on each whole cookie. Carefully top each with a donut cookie and press down gently to create a cookie sandwich.