These Orange Pistachio Cardamom Cookies are our new favourite cookies. Festive season baking has not yet begun for us. However, it is hard to imagine anything dethroning these cookies.
They are buttery, have a pleasant coarseness from semolina and pops of crunch from pistachios. Further, they have layers of flavours: a floral cardamom burst, a lingering taste of orange and hints of earthy saffron. Finally, a dip in white chocolate and a sprinkle of candied orange, pistachio and saffron adds some extra decadence.
Our orange, pistachio and cardamom cookies are inspired from naankathai. Naankathai are melt-in-the-mouth Indian cardamom cookies which we often make for Diwali. Traditional naankathai ingredients include flour, semolina, ghee and sugar.
Naankathai are one of Kurvin’s favourite sweets but they did not feature highly on my list. Kurvin challenged himself to make a naankathai-inspied cookie that we will both gravitate towards. His mission is accomplished! Orange zest and pistachios elevate the cookies whilst a chocolate coating adds the final flourish.
Give them a try. You will not regret it!
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT ORANGE, PISTACHIO AND CARDAMOM COOKIES
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes! You can make the dough a couple of days ahead and store in the fridge. Additionally, the dough can be stored in the freezer for up to a month and thawed on the day of use (just soft enough to be cut).
Can I skip the chocolate dipping?
Absolutely! These cookies will pack a flavour punch nonetheless.
Tip: You can sprinkle chopped pistachios and candied orange peel (or orange zest) onto the rolled dough and press them into the dough with a light roll. Then proceed to cutting the cookies as per the recipe.
Can I shape the cookies like naankathai?
Yes, that would work. You can shape the cookies individually in lieu of rolling and cutting.
Orange Pistachio and Cardamom Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie
- 150 g (1 cup) flour (cake or all purpose)
- 45 g semolina
- 110 g butter
- 65 g (⅓ cup) sugar
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 10 g pistachios, chopped
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp orange zest
For the decor
- 50 g white chocolate
- 3 g pistachios, finely chopped
- 1-2 candied orange peels, chopped
- a few strands saffron
Instructions
For the cookie
- Place the softened butter and sugar in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix the the rest of the cookie ingredients- sifted flour, semolina, baking powder, chopped pistachios, cardamom.
- Whisk the butter and sugar until well combined and slightly fluffy.
- Stir in the flour mixture and gather together into a ball. You may have to form it into a ball by hand.
- Flatten the ball into a disc and place in cling wrap in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the disc between 2 pieces of wax/baking paper until it is 8-10 mm thick.
- Cut out circles which are approximately 4-5 cm in diameter. (You can make the circles bigger or smaller as per your preference).
- Place the circles on a baking tray lined with a silicone baking mat (use baking paper if you don't have a mat) and bake for 16-18 minutes at 180°C until very lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
For the decorations
- Melt the white chocolate (according to manufacturer's instructions). We melt white chocolate in the microwave.
- Dip the cooled cookies a third of the way into the melted chocolate (see note below).
- Sprinkle on the chopped pistachios, chopped candied orange peel and a few saffron strands.
- Place the cookie on a cooling rack and allow the white chocolate to completely set.