Meyer lemon is the not-so-secret ingredient in this Lemon Pistachio Shortbread recipe. Swap (standard) lemon juice with one heaping tablespoon of Moroccan paste for the added dimension of flavor that comes from citrus cured in sea salt, allspice, cinnamon and Bay leaf.
Need
Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter softened
¾ cup powered sugar (confectioner's or icing sugar)
½ tsp vanilla or vanilla bean paste
¼ tsp salt less if using salted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
Topping
1½ cups powered sugar (confectioner's or icing sugar)
1 TBS If & When Moroccan Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste
¼ cup unsalted, roasted pistachios finely chopped, or to taste
Do
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a bowl with an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in flour until just combined.
Press dough into a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom (or alternately, a 9-inch round cake pan, lining the bottom with parchment paper.) Flatten dough with your palm to make a smooth surface. Using a sharp knife, score the surface of the dough in to 16 wedges. Prick each wedge with a fork twice. Refrigerate pan with dough until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 300F.
Bake cookies until firm and pale golden, about 50-55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes, then, using a sharp knife, cut through the score lines made before baking, wiping the blade clean between each cut. Allow to cool completely.
Prepare glaze by whisking icing sugar and preserved lemon paste until smooth. Tip: Be sure to use a bowl that allows you to dip the cookies in flat from end to end, so it should be at least 5-inches wide. Don't use too big a bowl or your glaze will be too thin a layer and you may bottom-out when you dip).
Transfer cookies from pan to rack. Holding a cookie by the sides, dip the top of the cookie into the glaze to coat. Hold point side down and allow the excess to drip off. Gently remove any drip at the point end by running it along the edge of the bowl. Place on the rack.
After 4 or 5, sprinkle with some of the chopped pistachio. Repeat until you cookies are glazed and sprinkled. Allow to stand until the glaze is set, about 1 hour.
Store in a flat even layer in an airtight container. These keep well stored at room temperature for about a week. They also freeze well.
Adapted for the recipe, "Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Cookies," from Seasons & Suppers, December 11, 2017.
