Pistachio & Cranberry Cookies

When I saw this recipe I just had to make it. No special occasion.  No guests on the horizon. But I thought  I’ll make them and freeze them for a rainy day.

the irresistible ingredients

It was the ingredients that caught my eye:  beautiful red and green pistachios have a sophisticated air about them while the deep red cranberries add a warm touch and depth of flavour. These last are relatively new here: every kind of dried fruit under the sun has always been available but not these. But now they are and very welcome they are too. You find them in the markets or in the wonderful specialist kuruyemiş shops which abound.

This recipe from BBC Good Food is short and sweet: try it and see! It’s an easy one!

the end product

Ingredients for Pistachio & Cranberry Cookies

Makes 22

175g/6 oz butter, softened

85g/3 oz golden caster sugar ( I used regular toz şeker)

½ tsp *vanilla extract


225g/8 oz plain flour

75g/2 ½ oz pistachios/şamfıstığı

75g/2 ½ oz dried cranberries/yaban mersin

Method

·         Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla extract with a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour, then tip in the pistachios and cranberries – you might need to get your hands in at this stage to bring the mix together as a dough. Halve the dough and shape each half into a log about 5 cm across. Wrap in cling film, then chill for 1 hr or freeze for up to 3 months.

·         Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.

·         Slice the logs into 1cm-thick rounds, place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 12-15 mins. Cool completely on the tray.

cooling on the tray

Tips

1.    Yes, use your hands for mixing in the dried fruit and nuts: you’ll find it much easier.

2.    *vanilla extract: this isn’t available here so I always bring some back from the UK when I go. Here, vanilla sugar is sold in little packets in all supermarkets.  Not quite the same thing but it’ll do!

3.    The chilling in the fridge is necessary as there is so much butter in the mixture,  it is very soft. Putting it in the fridge firms it up and makes it easier to slice into rounds.

Melt-in-your-mouth,  Pistachio & Cranberry, the perfect grown-up cookie!

Afiyet olsun!