These cardamom cookies are one part exotic flavors and one part comfort food. Infused with pistachios, they’re perfect for dunking in milk and fancy enough to serve at high tea.
What is cardamom, anyway?
Cardamom is a spice made from the seeds of a particular family of plants, native to India. In fact, India was the world’s largest producer of cardamom until the late 20th century, when it’s growing popularity led other countries to increase production.
Cardamom has a unique flavor and aroma that is hard to describe. It has a bit of citrus flavor – like lemon or orange – combined with an earthy, woodsy quality. The distinctive flavor complements both savory dishes, like traditional curries, and sweet desserts – like these cardamom cookies!
Let’s bake some Cardamom Cookies!
As with the chai shortbread cookies I shared a while ago, these cookies are wonderfully fragrant, thanks to the addition of lemon zest and cardamom. And I think, in addition to their beautiful buttery taste, it’s the scent of lemon and cardamom that makes them so good that it’s difficult to stop at one.
This recipe is very simple, as far as cookie recipe go. The only real secret here is to use high quality ingredients!
The cardamom itself is the most critical ingredient to get right. When I’m able, I like to buy mine at a local Indian grocer. I find I get the best prices there and I can count on it being really flavorful and aromatic. I’ve also had good luck with the Simply Organic brand spices. Whichever brand you choose, be sure to check the date. Spices truly do lose flavor over time – so this is not the time to dig out that expired bottle from the back of your pantry. If you can’t smell the cardamom anymore – it’s not going to taste very good in your cookies.
The other important ingredient here is the pistachios! Most grocery stores carry pistachios these days. Personally, I like to buy the pre-shelled kind. It saves me a ton of time, and saves my fingers from the pain of peeling all those nuts!
Just a note, if you are going to make these cookies, and you should, the fragrance and full flavor isn’t fully realized until the day after baking. They really need a day for the cardamom and lemon zest have time to really infuse their heady aroma. Alternately you could make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight before baking.
To dunk, or not to dunk, your cardamom cookies?
Are you a dunker?
Dunking or dipping cookies, or biscuits as my Australian friends call them, is something many of us love. In fact mention dunking among a group of friends and it’s likely to raise debate over the best ways to dunk, and the best drink to dunk your cookies in.
For me that is without doubt a cup of tea. For my hubby it’s coffee, and for others it might be milk, or even an ice cold glass of coke. (Eck!) While dunking a cookie in coke isn’t something I’m likely to try anytime soon, did you know there is scientific proof that dunking actually makes cookies taste better?
A while ago I came across this article, where the one and only inquisitive Heston Blumenthal set out to prove, scientifically whether or not dunking really does impact flavor. And it does! We were right all along.
So next time you’re looking for something sweet to dunk- why not give these buttery, crumbly and fragrant pistachio and cardamom cookies a try?
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Pistachio and Cardamom Cookies
These cardamom cookies are the perfect blend of exotic flavors and traditional comfort food. The pistachio adds a unique twist. These are perfect for dunking in milk, yet fancy enough to serve at high tea.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 230 g butter room temperature, 2 sticks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom heaped
- zest of half a lemon
- 1/2 cup pistachios roughly chopped
Instructions
Add the flour salt, confectioner's sugar, lemon zest, cardamon and butter to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until a dough forms.
Add the pistachios and pulse again until combined.
Remove from the food processor and roll into a log of roughly 6cm (2½ inches) in diameter and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight to allow the cardamon and lemon zest to fully infuse.
Preheat oven to 190 celsius (375 Fahrenheit) and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Slice the dough into 24 cookies and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges begin to golden.
Cool on the baking tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Cookies are the best the day after baking as the flavours really come through then. Alternatively refrigerate the dough overnight before baking.
Thank you! I had the ingredients ready and had started to make the cookies when I posted the question from Australia. Went online and found a conversion which called for 125 g of flour per cup before I got your reply. I added saffron with the dough. Cookies were too soft to handle but hardened up in a day. Beautiful, both in colour and flavour! Need to make another batch soon. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Jennifer, what is the conversion from cup to grams for flour? Thank you. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
I have a handy conversion chart here. 150g of flour is roughly 1 cup of flour. There is also a handy flour conversion calculator at Traditional Oven which is worth bookmarking. I hope that helps. 🙂
These are my new go-to Shortbread recipe! Yum yum yummo! I unfortunately could not get a hold of any pistachios, so made the slight adjustment to pecan and chai spice, but
following your exact recipe otherwise. Big Hit. Thanks, Jennifer 🙂
Hi, am making these as part of Diwali celebrations (cardamom and pistachio big indian flavours!). I usually make shortbread with some cornflour – would that work in this recipe, or totally not necessary?
And I would SO dunk these in tea!
Hi Tess, 🙂
I usually add cornflour to shortbread as well, and while it does give shortbread more of a melt in the mouth texture, however I didn’t think it was necessary. It depends on how you like your shortbread though 😀 Let me know how they turn out!
Does using them as an edible ice-cream scoop count as dunking? That’s my first choice!
I’m not a dunker as I have a weird thing about soggy food (odd, I know!) but I do love a good biscuit and these subtly spiced biscuits look divine.
Lovely cookies and gorgeous flavor combination! I’m sure they are quite addictive.
Cheers,
Rosa
Oh I’d dunk these in coffee! Beautiful shortbread.
Shortbread cookies are the IDEAL cookie for dunking – the ultimate. And these look gorgeous.
Jennifer, these are perfect cookies. I love pistachios and I’m very fond of cardamom too.
Oooh these look fantastic for dunking! I personally think shortbread is the best for dunking as it seems to soak up all the flavours better. But you can’t beat tim tam slamming 🙂