Name: Chocolate Pistachio Nut Bar Cookies
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour; 3 tbsp of granulated sugar; 1/4 tsp of cardamom; 1/2 cup of butter (one stick); 1/4 cup of chopped pistachio nuts; 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips; 1 tsp of butter flavored shortening

These chocolate pistachio nut bar cookies are the perfect way to use pistachios in my holiday baking.

Christmas is the time of the year when we normally have pistachio nuts in our house. For some reason we have relegated them to the holidays.

So any recipe that has pistachios in it reminds me of the holidays.

Are you looking for the perfect cookie to take to your holiday cookie swap? Look no further.

These delicious cookies are light and airy with a sweet chocolate drizzle. Add some festive holiday paper and they also make the perfect holiday sweet gift idea.

For your Cookie Swap: Chocolate Pistachio Nut Bar Cookies

This recipe for pistachio nut cookies with a chocolate drizzle is easy to make. Each cookie has about 100 calories too, so they don’t break the calorie bank.

The cookies are first rolled into a dough and then baked in a large rectangle which is later cute into smaller bar shaped cookies.

Drizzle each rectangle when cool with melted chocolate and they are done!

The secret ingredient in the cookie mix is cardamom. It combines well with the pistachios for a tasty and distinctive flavor.

Yield: 16

Chocolate Pistachio Nut Bar Cookies

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
3 tbsp of granulated sugar
1/4 tsp of cardamom
1/2 cup of butter (one stick)
1/4 cup of chopped pistachio nuts
1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp of butter flavored shortening

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 º F.

Whisk together the flour, sugar and cardamom in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork, until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Fold in the chopped pistachio nuts. Form the mixture into a ball and knead until it is smooth.

Lightly flour a surface and roll out the dough into a 10 x 6 inch rectangle.

Place on a parchment lined backing sheet and bake for 25 - 30 minutes in a preheated oven - the edges will be just lightly browned.

Remove and while still warm, cut the rectangle into 3 x 1" rectangle bars. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Melt the chocolate and shortening in a double boiler until smooth, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the cooled cookies.

Makes 20 cookies.