Even though I was making 4 types of Christmas cookies, my office wouldn’t get to try any of them, so I whipped these up on a weeknight after seeing them on my friend Olga’s blog. I decided to make the pistachio cookies more festive by adding some red dried cranberries and some zingy crystallized ginger. I thought I was pretty clever turning these into Christmas-colored cookies.

Sometimes I think that chocolate is often used as a crutch in baking. It takes a really good hand to be able to make something delicious without chocolate in it that everyone will enjoy. These cookies had a firm yet delicate crumb and were extremely flavorful. I like that each bite had a bit of something else in it, an element of surprise, but some people don’t like that.

While these cookies were baking, I realized I had some chopped pistachios, cranberries, and ginger left over. I combined these with some leftover chopped hazelnuts from my homemade nutella and thought they’d make a delicious topping for one of my favorite things to make – pumpkin bread (or muffins). I scooped the bread batter into these odd shaped Panibois Baking Molds and hoped for the best, checking them often since they held varying sizes of batter. I couldn’t taste them after they baked (obviously), but I wrapped them up in cute snowflake cello-wrap and tied them with twine. I gave some to my family and some to co-workers. I’d like to think this is a more tasty version of a fruitcake, but pumpkin!

Pistachio, Cranberry, and Crystallized Ginger Cookies

By nicole Published: January 7, 2013

• Yield: 24 cookies
• Prep: 18 mins
• Cook: 12 mins
• Ready In: 30 mins

This recipe is based off of one from Mango & Tomato, which is adapted from Joe Yonan's Serve Yourself. The recipe makes 24 small cookies, but doubled, will make 24 regular sized cookies.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups pistachios roasted, salted, shelled
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• 2 egg yolks room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⅓ cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• cranberries diced, optional, to taste
• crystallized ginger sliced, optional, to taste

Instructions

1. In a food processor, grind 1 cup of the pistachios. Slowly pour in the oil until the nuts form a paste. Coarsely chop the remaining half cup and reserve.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add in the egg yolks and vanilla. Beat in the pistachio paste until incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the four and soda. Slowly add the ingredients to the mixing bowl until just incorporated. Mix in remaining pistachios, cranberries, and ginger.
4. Divide the dough into two logs and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.
5. Slice the dough into pieces and shape to be more circular if needed. Place about 2 inches apart and bake for 12 minutes at 350°. Let cool on pan until firm, then transfer to cooling rack.

• Cuisine: Cookies