Sometimes a really good cookie can rescue me from a really bad day. We woke to bitterly cold winds, temperatures in the single digits--and only expected to climb to the teens--and a layer of new snow on the ground. (At least we don't have a hundred inches of snow, things could be so much worse)--I shouldn't complain. Then there was a rambunctious puppy under foot whose only desire in this world involves chasing, running, and gnawing. Little can be done to keep her "down" and quiet other than wearing her out with games of indoor hide and seek and little short trips outside. I was desperate for a break and thought she would find her chew-bone more exciting than my leg, arm, kneecap or hip--so I began pulling together the ingredients for this amazing shortbread cookie. I love, LOVE, love these.
I whipped these up in no time, before my second cup of coffee, even! They were almost too easy.
After you've added all the ingredients to the mixing bowl, it will only take a few seconds before the dough comes together to form a mass like you see here. That's when you stop, remove the dough and shape it into a log, then place in the fridge.
Just a warning to anyone who loves pistachios as much as I do--you'll eat as many as you set aside for the rolling part. At least I did. You could use any nut you'd like, I just happened to have a ridiculous amount of pistachios on hand.
My knitting gets sidetracked easily. But as you can see below my slow-and-steady-goes-it Hitofude cardigan is coming along. I am anxious to get to eleven or twelve of those pattern repeats, which will be the arms--then the body begins. I need to pay attention to this when I work on it (obviously with Frankie attracted to whatever I have in my hands, most of the work on this takes place during her puppy naps!).
Last month I got a very fun, two-ply yarn in from Yarnbox. I would have NEVER purchased it for myself. Which is the whole point to my subscription.
Knitting Glacier Sweep by Stephen West in Feederbrook Farm Entropy. Excited to see how this finishes as I like the yarn a whole lot more now that I can see how the colors vary with each row.
I'm making myself a summer hat. Straightforward and sort of deviating from the pattern a bit. I really, really wanted to make myself a hat last summer. I figure if I start this now, the thing should be done by April! I picked out a pale linen for the outer part, the underside will be the green.
Frankie likes to take "hard stop" rests when we go for a run. This is where she landed a couple of days ago along a trail. She found the best pile of leaves in the whole park--pulled me to the left, and landed right smack dab in the middle of them. I nearly landed on my own backside--she is so strong!
And. . . seven months old now!
(adapted from Ottolenghi)
makes about 20 cookies
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup spelt flour
4 T. cornstarch
4 1/2 T. confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 cup pistachios (shelled and chopped)
2 T. sugar
Prepare the pistachios, shelling them, then chopping and set aside. In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter together with the dry ingredients until a paste forms. Roll into a log that is about 1 3/4 thick, wrap in plastic and place in fridge for about an hour. After dough has chilled, place chopped pistachios with 2 T. of sugar on a baking tray, remove shortbread log and roll in the pistachios and sugar. Place in the fridge for about a half hour longer while you preheat the oven to 325. Remove cookie log and slice into 1/2" cookies and place on cookie sheet about and inch apart. Bake cookies for about 20-25 minutes--until cookies are golden around edges. Cool completely and store in airtight container.
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